Africa

• 26 April 2004
  AFRICA/CONGO - “Children and Youth in society and in the Church: the child a gift of God. Youth, richness and opportunity for our times”: theme of 32nd plenary assembly of the Congo Bishops’ Conference opening today Brazzaville (Fides Service)- Today 26 April the Catholic Bishops of Congo are beginning their 32nd plenary assembly. The meeting which will be held at Pointe Noire and will close on May 2 has the theme “Children and Yo ...
• 23 April 2004
  AFRICA/NIGERIA - Catholics to make a film on prison life in Nigeria Lagos (Fides Service)- Prison apostolate is an important part of the activity of the local Catholic Church in Nigeria. “This apostolate involves visitation to warders and prisoners, trying to create an atmosphere of he ...
• 23 April 2004
  AFRICA/CENTRAL AFRICA - Revolt by mercenaries from Chad does not affect life in the Central African capital. A missionary sends testimony to Fides Bangui (Fides Service)- “Sporadic shots are heard coming from the PK11 district where President François Bozizé resides but the rest of the city is relatively calm” a local Church source in Bangui, capital of the C ...
• 22 April 2004
  AFRICA/BURUNDI - Last resistant rebel group says it is ready to talk about peace. Thousands take part in Peace Initiatives throughout the country organised by local Catholic Action Bujumbura (Fides Service)- “We are waiting to see if the words are followed by deeds. Too often in the recent past announcements have been made but nothing has happened” a local Church source in Burundi told Fides af ...
• 20 April 2004
  AFRICA/MADAGASCAR - Caritas network offers emergency assistance following worst cyclones in 20 years with a project costing 522,000 Euro Antananarivo (Fides Service) - The worst humanitarian tragedy in Madagascar in 20 years taking hundred of lives, affecting 774,000 people, 30,000 of whom in desperate need of food and emergency medical-care; 216,000 home ...
• 19 April 2004
  AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - Spokesman of Southern African Bishops’ Conference, Father Efrem Tresoldi, comments for Fides election results in South Africa Johannesburg (Fides Service)- “The South African electorate gave great credit of confidence to the National African Congress (NAC), which now bears the great responsibility of given trust” spokesman of Southern Afric ...
• 19 April 2004
  AFRICA/IVORY COAST - Positive results from meeting between Prime Minister and Opposition. Agreement on freedom of press, security for Party leaders and party headquarters, freedom of assembly and demonstration Abidjan (Fides Service)- “This is a positive result which inspires cautious optimism”. Local Church sources voiced to Fides satisfaction for the outcome of talks on 17 April between Prime Minister Seydou Diarra and 7 ...
• 16 April 2004
  AFRICA/MOZAMBIQUE - Italian Xaverian Missionary Giuseppe Mauri killed in car accident: teaching, AIDS assistance and missionary animation were the main occupations of his day Maputo (Fides Service) -* Italian Xaverian Missionary Giuseppe Mauri, died yesterday, 15 April, in Mozambique, of injuries caused by a road accident. The news was released by Father Joao Bortoloci, head of Xaverian Mi ...
• 16 April 2004
  AFRICA/IVORY COAST - Small steps for reconciliation between President Gbagbo and 7 Opposition Parties which abandoned interim government of national unity Abidjan (Fides Service)- “There are signs of hope but we will have to wait for the meeting tomorrow, 17 April, to see how dialogue has progressed” a local church source in Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s commercial capital, ...
• 16 April 2004
  AFRICA/SUDAN - Prospects for peace in Sudan extend also to northern Uganda Khartoum (Fides Service)- Sudan appears to have taken the right path to end the civil war which since 1983 has caused the death of more than 1.5 million people mostly civilians. The leader of the Sudan People’s Liberat ...
• 15 April 2004
  AFRICA/SOMALIA - Fundamentalists target westerners. 5,000 dollars for a foreigner’s head Mogadishu (Fides Service) - According to reliable Fides’ sources in Mogadishu Al Qaida plans use local fundamentalist recruits to target westerners in Somalia. “Behind the murder of Italian medical doctor Annalena To ...
• 15 April 2004
  AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - According to the exit poll the National African Congress is in the lead after elections yesterday; bad organisation affected voting in some parts Johannesburg (Fides Service)- In South Africans went to the polls in an orderly and peaceful manner to place their votes for legislative and regional elections yesterday 14 April (see Fides 14 April 2004). “The people ...
• 14 April 2004
  AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - Voting starts in South Africa: National African Congress expected to win despite delusion of part of the electorate Johannesburg (Fides Service) -“These elections are marked by disappointment, indeed much disappointment” Scalabrini Father Mario, of “Scalabrini Development Agency” in Cape Town tells Fides with regard to legisla ...
• 5 April 2004
  AFRICA/RWANDA - The Office for Social Communications of the Rwandan Bishops’ Conference has announced that on the basis of a recent censure more than one million people perished in massacres in Rwanda in 1994 Kigali (Fides Service) - With regard to the number of people killed in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, Rev. Dominique Karekezi Office for Social Communications of the Rwandan Bishops’ Conference told Fides. “The results ...
• 5 April 2004
  AFRICA/IVORY COAST - Future of Ivory Coast in the hands of four ruthless politicians Abidjan (Fides Service )- “In Ivory Coast the four candidates for elections in 2005 are fighting for power” a mission in Ivory Coast who asked not to be named, told Fides. “Instead of thinking of the common good of ...