News

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  9 January 2026
  AFRICA/GABON - Faced with alarm over "ritual murders", the President asks the population whether they want the death penalty reintroduced Libreville (Agenzia Fides) –Citizens will decide whether the death penalty will be imposed for so-called "ritual murders." This was announced by the President of Gabon, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, in his New Year's a ...
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  9 January 2026
  AFRICA/SUDAN - Education in North Darfur: a matter of survival and social protection Port Sudan (Agenzia Fides) - Since the outbreak of war in Sudan on April 15, 2023, one of the most severely affected sectors, particularly in historically fragile states like North Darfur, is education. Poverty, natu ...
• 9 January 2026
  AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - Appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Cape Town Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Sithembele Anton Sipuka, until now bishop of the diocese of Mthatha, as metropolitan archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa. Archbishop-elect Sithembele ...
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  9 January 2026
  ASIA/MYANMAR - Elections in a country at war: “There is hope for change and national dialogue” Yangon (Agenzia Fides) – In Myanmar, where a civil war has raged for almost five years since the coup attempt of February 1, 2021, the military junta has launched elections to form a bicameral parliament. Opposition pa ...
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  8 January 2026
  VATICAN - Mission "by attraction" at the center of the Extraordinary Consistory convened by Leo XIV Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) –Mission and Synodality. These are the “urgent issues” considered as priorities for the Church’s present situation and the focus of discussions among the 170 Cardinals who gathered in ...
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  8 January 2026
  AFRICA/NIGERIA - “The students from the school in Papiri have suffered further trauma after their release, following recent attacks with 49 victims” Abuja (Agenzia Fides) – Between December 28, 2025, and January 3, 2026, approximately 60 gang members killed at least 49 people in the region between Borgu Local Government Area in the State of Niger and the southern p ...
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  8 January 2026
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Father Feroz: "The light of Christ shines in Pakistan offering hope for peace through the Jubilee Year" Lahore (Agenzia Fides) – “The Jubilee Year has reminded us that Christ is our hope, yesterday, today, and forever. This hope accompanies us in 2026, a year in which we hope and commit ourselves to building peace in o ...
• 8 January 2026
  AFRICA/TANZANIA - Erection of the diocese of Bariadi, Tanzania, and appointment of first bishop Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father has erected the diocese of Bariadi, Tanzania, with territory taken from the diocese of Shinyanga, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan archdiocese of Mwanza. The Holy ...
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  8 January 2026
  AMERICA/ARGENTINA - “Easter in La Rioja, joy of the people”: Diocesan Jubilee for the 50th anniversary of the martyrdom of the local Blesseds La Rioja (Agenzia Fides) – In the wake of the recently concluded Jubilee of Hope, the Bishop of La Rioja, Dante Braida, has announced the opening of a Diocesan Jubilee to mark the 50th anniversary of the martyrdom of B ...
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  7 January 2026
  AMERICA/CHILE - The Permanent Committee of the Chilean Episcopal Conference calls for prayers for peace in Venezuela Santiago (Agenzia Fides) – The Permanent Committee of the Chilean Episcopal Conference joins in the words of Pope Leo XIV and the Venezuelan bishops, inviting parishes to pray especially for the Venezuelan people and t ...
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  7 January 2026
  ASIA/CHINA - The closing of the Jubilee Year and the many "new beginnings" of Chinese Catholic communities Shijiazhuang (Agenzia Fides) – The closing of the Jubilee Year dedicated to Hope can also be understood as a new beginning, a new start on the path of faith. In this spirit, Catholic communities in mainland China cele ...
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  7 January 2026
  ASIA/MYANMAR - Bishops: Peace and education are crucial for Myanmar's future Yangon (Agenzia Fides) – The theme of peace was at the center of the assembly of the Myanmar Bishops' Conference, which recently took place in Yangon and concluded with a solemn Mass in Yangon Cathedral, presided over ...
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  7 January 2026
  ASIA/CAMBODIA - Bishop Schmitthaeusler: "Cambodia wants its voice heard, demanding justice and reparation" Phnom Penh (Agenzia Fides) – "Thai bulldozers are razing the homes of Cambodian civilians for miles, and barbed wire and shipping containers block access to the villages. And the international institutions are silent. ...
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  7 January 2026
  Lessons from 1989. When a Nuncio Faced Off a US Invasion in Panama by Victor Gaetan* Caracas/Panama (Agenzia Fides) - The U.S. military operation in Venezuela last week targeting President Nicolás Maduro Moros reminds us of a similar American maneuver 36 years ago, which put a dram ...
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  7 January 2026
  AFRICA/SOUTH SUDAN - Four new priests and six deacons: a significant milestone in the life of the local Church Tombura-Yambio (Agenzia Fides) - Grace, faith, unity and hope animated the historic celebration of the ordination of four new priests and six deacons in the diocese of Tombura-Yambio. "This event marks a significant mile ...