Africa

• 23 December 2008
  AFRICA/EGYPT - “Perhaps if the Lord had chosen to be born in this epoch, given God's way of acting, He would not have disdained this place”: says a missionary working in the rag-picker district of Cairo Cairo (Agenzia Fides) – “In our very modest structure we try to make sure the small classrooms where we teach our children are kept clean. We insist on the necessity of hygiene and order as a system of life, and we h ...
• 22 December 2008
  AFRICA/CONGO DR - An uncertain Christmas in East Congo, where hundreds of thousands of refugees are living in make-shift camps. Reflections from a missionary. Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - “What is cause for concern is the situation of absolute uncertainty that continues to weigh heavily on Congo and on the neighboring countries, like a black cloud,” Fr. Antonio Trettel, Jave ...
• 19 December 2008
  AFRICA/KENYA - “Christmas teaches us to discard the human way of relying on human power and strength”: Pastoral Letter of Cardinal Njue Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) – Christmas “reveals from the start, and quite clearly, God’s way of thinking” says Cardinal John Njue, Archbishop of Nairobi (Kenya), in his Pastoral Letter for Christmas 2008, which has ...
• 19 December 2008
  AFRICA/ZIMBABWE - “Free all the captives by January 1 or we will call off negotiations with the Presidential party,” says opposition leader Harare (Agenzia Fides) - “The MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) can no longer be seated at the same negotiation table with a party that kidnaps our members and other innocent civilians, and denies them the right to ...
• 18 December 2008
  AFRICA/KENYA - “Let us remain calm and read the text of the law,” the Catholic Church affirms as the controversy over the press law continues Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) – Following the approval of the new law on the press, the Kenya Communications (Amendment) Bill, 2008, “the atmosphere in the country has been of anxiety and uncertainty,” says a statement s ...
• 18 December 2008
  AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - “It is now time for South Africa to isolate Mugabe,” says Cardinal Napier, spokesman for the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) Johannesburgo (Agenzia Fides) – “It is now time to isolate Mugabe completely and to remove all forms of moral, material or tacit support for him and his party,” says Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, Archbishop of Durban (S ...
• 17 December 2008
  AFRICA/NIGERIA - “The Imperative of Peace and Reconciliation”: message from the Bishops of Nigeria, on their delegation's visit to Rwanda Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - “The context of our visit...is defined by our desire to reinforce the spirit of solidarity and mutual interdependence between the Church in Nigeria and the Church in Rwanda. It is our hope and w ...
• 17 December 2008
  AFRICA/SOMALIA - UN authorizes air and land raids against Somali pirates, with consent from local government which is suffering serious internal conflict Mogadishu (Agenzia Fides) – Somalia is now positioned in the heart of an intense diplomatic and military activity, following a resolution from the UN Security Council authorizing countries to send in their naval forces ...
• 16 December 2008
  AFRICA - In 2009, the Society of African Missions will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the death of their Founder, Bishop Melchior de Marion Brésillac, and inaugurate three new Districts in Africa Rome (Agenzia Fides) – In 2009, the Society of African Missions (SMA) will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the death of its founder, French Bishop Melchior de Marion Brésillac (1813-1859), who arrived in Freetown ( ...
• 16 December 2008
  AFRICA/KENYA - Protest on the new information law; Cardinal Njue expresses his concern for the freedom of the media and encourages journalists to remember their responsibility Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) – Lively protests are being carried out in Kenya, following the approval of a new information law that establishes tighter regulations on freedom of the press. Some fifty journalists and members ...
• 16 December 2008
  AFRICA/TOGO - Togo abolishes the death penalty, while the African Union invites all the countries on the continent to a moratorium on all forms of capital punishment Lome (Agenzia Fides) – Togo has joined the other countries who have decided to outlaw the death penalty. On December 13, the government in Lome announced a law abolishing capital punishment. “The country's choice t ...
• 15 December 2008
  AFRICA/CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - “Take the common good seriously and give the country a chance of survival,” three missionaries tell participants in the “Inclusive dialogue” in the Central African Republic. Bangui (Agenzia Fides) - “As missionaries, we are committed to always going out to help the people, who are victims of the rebels, bandits, and military. We have wished to address an open letter to the participants in ...
• 15 December 2008
  AFRICA/UGANDA - Joint offensive formed by Uganda, Congo, and South Sudan, against Ugandan LRA rebels in Congo Kampala (Agenzia Fides) – The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which for 20 years has sown death and destruction in northern Uganda, has once again taken up arms. “The Armed Forces of Uganda (UPDF), the Democratic Repu ...
• 12 December 2008
  AFRICA/ZIMBABWE - Cardinal Maradiaga, President of Caritas Internationalis, expresses his concern for the whereabouts of human rights activists kidnapped in Zimbabwe Harare (Agenzia Fides) - “News of the abduction of Jestina Mukoko is disturbing. She is a respected human rights defender and valued partner of Caritas. Ms Mukoko and all other human rights defenders that have been abd ...
• 12 December 2008
  AFRICA/MALAWI - “The increase in grain prices is hurting families,” a missionary from Malawi says Lilongwe (Agenzia Fides) – The startled citizens are asking themselves, “Will famine return?” says Fr. Piergiorgio Gamba, a Monfortian missionary who has been working in Malawi for decades, in a brief update sent t ...