Africa

• 17 January 2006
  AFRICA/SUDAN - War and now rebuilding: “The local Church supported by missionaries has never abandoned the people of southern Sudan and will continue to help them overcome their difficulties” says Comboni Provincial Superior Khartoum (Fides Service) - The peace agreement for southern Sudan reached a year ago did restore hope among these people who suffered greatly in 20 years of civil war, but much remains to be done to rebuild entire region ...
• 17 January 2006
  AFRICA/LIBERIA - “This is a positive moment for all Liberians” says a missionary after installation of the new President Monrovia (Agenzia Fides)- “This is a positive moment for all Liberians and for the future of the country” said Italian missionary Fr Mauro Armanino, a member of the Society for African Missions, in the Liberian capi ...
• 16 January 2006
  AFRICA/KENYA - Official Catholic/WCC booklet 'Resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity' circulated in English and Kiswahili: “follow ecumenism principles in all activities” Nairobi (Fides Service) - Christians of different confessions in Kenya have planned various initiatives for the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18-25 January) with the theme this year “When two or three are ...
• 16 January 2006
  AFRICA/SUDAN - Agreement for the repatriation of Sudanese refugees from Kenya. “We welcome such agreements but these returnees need infrastructures. In much of the area the only schools and medical centres are those opened and run by Catholics” say missionaries in Sudan Khartoum (Fides Service)- “The situation of Sudanese refugees who return to southern Sudan is still very precarious and it is too early to express an opinion with regard to agreements with hosting countries for their r ...
• 16 January 2006
  AFRICA/DR CONGO - Kinshasa Diocesan Congress on the theme Living Basic Ecclesial Communities CEVB Kinshasa (Fides Service) - ‘CEVB foundation of the Church-Family-of-God’ is the theme of the first session 17-20 January of a Diocesan Congress on Living Ecclesial Communities CEVB organised by the archdiocese of Kin ...
• 13 January 2006
  AFRICA/BURKINA FASO - At Ouagadougou main prison Camillian Brothers guarantee spiritual assistance and medical care Ouagadougou (Fides Service) - MACO, short for Maison of Arrest and Correction Ouagadougou, is the oldest prison in Burkina Faso and the one with the highest number of detainees (1,016 on 31 December 2005). Major criminal ...
• 13 January 2006
  AFRICA/DR CONGO - Who should care for Zaire Armed Forces widows and children in precarious camp conditions 40 km from Kinshasa? Kinshasa (Fides Service)- Cana camp at Kimpoko, 40 km from Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is ‘home’ for about 80 families, mostly widows and children of the old Armed Forces of Zaire, a countr ...
• 13 January 2006
  AFRICA/LIBERIA - Happy and hopeful although conscious of difficulties ahead Liberia waits for new President to take office Monrovia (Fides Service) - Aged 25 years, more than half of them lived as a refugee in another country: this is the identity kit of most Liberians about to celebrate the installation of the new president Ellen Johnson-Si ...
• 13 January 2006
  AFRICA/NIGER - Caritas Niger busy elaborating strategic plan to assist drought stricken people Niamey (Fides Service)- Now organised at the national, diocesan and parish level, Caritas Niger (Caritas Dévelopement Niger, CADEV-Niger) has decided to give itself a new strategic planning structure. CADEV-Niger, at pr ...
• 12 January 2006
  EUROPE/FRANCE - Society of African Missions (SMA) celebrates 150th anniversary Lyons (Agenzia Fides) - This year the Lyons Society for African Missions SMA is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its foundation. It was one of many missionary institutes started in the mid 19th century to evangelise ...
• 12 January 2006
  AFRICA/CAMEROON - “women religious are a precious and irreplaceable resource for the Church in Cameroon”. says Pontifical Mission Societies national director Yaounde (Fides Service)- “The history of the Church in Cameroon is a detailed testimony of women religious from 1892 to our day” says rev. Boniface Bouobda, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Ca ...
• 12 January 2006
  AFRICA/KENYA - “The local Catholic Church is the institution most committed to helping people suffering the consequences of drought ” Nairobi (Fides Service)- “The local Catholic Church is probable the institution most involved in helping people who suffer the consequences of the prolonged drought which has affected many parts of the country” said ...
• 11 January 2006
  AFRICA/CÔTE D' IVOIRE - In Côte d'Ivoire Clerics of St Viator mark 50 years of service and solidarity Abidjan (Fides Service)- The Clerics of St Viator in Côte d'Ivoire are celebrating 50 years of presence in this African country. Celebrations will culminate on 25 June. The Clerics’ charisma is teaching Catholic doctr ...
• 11 January 2006
  AFRICA/DR CONGO - “We will continue to help the Congolese people choose honest and capable political leaders” says Cardinal Etsou in first Pastoral Letter of 2006 Kinshasa (Fides Service) - The Catholic Church in DR Congo has confirmed its commitment to promote civic education in order to build a society of justice and peace, truth and brotherly love. Cardinal Frédéric Nzambi Ba ...
• 10 January 2006
  AFRICA/SUDAN - “Sudan is the country with the second highest number of refugees and displaced persons in the world” says Laura Boldrini of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees Rome (Fides Service)- “Sudan is the world’s second largest “producer” of refugees after Afghanistan” says Laura Boldrini, of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees UNHCR. “At present there are over 7 ...