A Comboni Missionary Is The New Bishop Of Tarma, Peru
The Holy Father has nominated a Comboni Father, Luis Alberto Barrera Pacheco, as Bishop of Tarma, Peru. Until his appointment, Father Luis Alberto has been provincial superior of the Comboni Missionaries province of Peru-Chile as well as vice-president of the Conference of Religious Major Superiors in Peru. Father Luis Alberto is 50 years old and […]
Ghana: Church Action Against Land Grabbing
Land grabbing literally means taking land by force. The phenomenon is spreading like an oil slick across not only Ghana but also all of Africa. “A huge portion of land has been regularly expropriated for years, and previous crops, chiefly food crops, now produce biofuels,” according to Mgr. John Kwofie, Bishop of Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana’s fourth […]
The “Good Shepherd Peace Centre” in South Sudan
The Good Shepherd Peace Centre was opened on October 15th in Kit, in the Archdiocese of Juba, by the Apostolic Nuncio to South Sudan, Archbishop Charles Daniel Balvo. He was assisted by His Exc. Mgr. Paolino Lukudu Loro, Archbishop of Juba, three other Bishops, an Apostolic administrator, and a large number of Diocesan and Religious […]
Comboni Missionaries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: “Our concern over the worsening social tensions”
Worried about the events taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Superior General of the Comboni Missionaries, Father Tesfaye Tadesse Gebresilasie, and the Superior General of the Comboni Missionary Sisters, Sister Luigia Coccia, have written a letter on behalf of their organisations, expressing solidarity with the people and the Church. The letter […]
Ethiopia: State of Emergency
Ethiopia’s state of emergency has seen restrictions on social media and religious and political speech, as well as street curfews and travel bans. The Ethiopian government has imposed the longest blanket ban on mobile internet services in the capital Addis Ababa since protests began a year ago. In addition, access to messaging platforms like WhatsApp […]
Brazil: The Green Movement for the Amazon
A Bishop fighting against the deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon. A hospital ship named in honour of Pope Francis to reach the remote areas along the rivers Amazon, Trobetas, Nhamundá, and Tapajós, where the indigenous people live. This is their story. Thousands of trees are cut down every minute during the day, and transported to […]
“Ending global hunger is certainly possible”
According to the 2016 Global Hunger Index, hunger levels in developing countries have fallen by 29 percent since 2000, but efforts to curb hunger must be accelerated in order to meet the international target to eradicate it by 2030. Hunger levels are “alarming” in seven countries, with the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad and Zambia […]
Pope Francis: To ‘go out’ as Missionary Disciples
This year World Mission Sunday will be celebrated on 23rd October. In his Message, Pope Francis said the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy invites us “to consider the missio ad gentes – the mission to the world – as a great, immense work of mercy, both spiritual and material”. The below are excerpts from his Message. On […]
Uganda: Between Gestures and Words
The greeting gesture has great importance among the Karimojong of Uganda. It has to be performed with the right hand, which is considered the noble hand, while verbally wishing long life, eternal friendship, and wealth. Karimojong greetings consist of gestures and words. The most common greeting gesture is the handshake. Everyone shakes hands, even with […]
European Justice and Peace commissions call for “bridges of justice rather than walls of fear”
European Justice and Peace commissions issued the following statement at the end of their Workshop and General Assembly in Luxembourg last week, which examined security across the continent. We, delegates from 21 European Justice & Peace Commissions, came together in Luxembourg from 30 September to 3 October 2016 to fulfil our responsibility to explore the […]