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Following a series of statements by Catholic Bishops in Ivory Coast calling for reconciliation and peaceful elections in the country, religious leaders in the West African nation have, in a panel discussion, explained the relationship between religion, politics and peace.
After concerns of massive land grabbing in Africa were raised by the West African Bishops at the helm of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA) during their February meeting, these Church leaders have convened a follow-up meeting with other stakeholders including experts in Ivory Coast’s economic capital, Abidjan to seek solutions to the challenge.
Irene Kyamummi, a Ugandan doctor who has had a career stint in neighboring Kenya is the winner of “the XI Harambee Prize 2020” for her selflessness in promoting health standards among vulnerable groups in the two East African countries, an official of Harambee Africa International, the Rome-based association that is giving the prize, told ACI Africa Wednesday, March 3.
The Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace in the West African nation of Ivory Coast is organizing a training seminar for pastoral agents in a bid to broaden their understanding of the Social Doctrine of the Church so that they are “more involved in the life of the society to which they belong.”
Following a series of statements by Catholic Bishops in Ivory Coast calling for reconciliation and peaceful elections in the West African nation, a delegation of Prelates in the country was received Wednesday, February 19 by President Alassane Ouattara to discuss the “reconciliation of all Ivorians” as well as peace and stability in the country.
The grabbing of land in Africa by “multinational” corporates keen on maximizing their profits without paying attention to the livelihoods of natives on the continent has been a key highlight during the weeklong gathering of Catholic Church leaders at the helm of the Regional Episcopal Conferences of West Africa (RECOWA) that concluded Monday, February 17.
Following the cancellation of the peace march by the Catholic Archdiocese of Abidjan in Ivory Coast that had been slated to take place in mid-February over security concerns, a priest from the west African country has described the search for peace in his native country as “far from being a tangible reality.”
The Episcopal Commission for Clergy, Seminaries and Pastoral Care of Vocations in the West African nation of Ivory Coast has announced an Extraordinary Congress on the life and ministry of priests, the first-ever, at the beginning of the second half of the year and called on well-wishers to donate toward the course viewed as “a new beginning in spiritual growth.”
As eligible voters in the West African nation of Ivory Coast prepare to go to the polls in October, Catholic Bishops in the country have, at the end of their Plenary Assembly, highlighted four issues that need to be addressed to avert a possible post-election crisis, top on their list, reconciliation. Other issues include dialogue, the independence of the electoral commission, and respect for the country’s Constitution.
Against the backdrop of a tense atmosphere in Ivory Coast ahead of presidential elections in October, the Catholic bishops in the West African nation have resolved to stand against “the sacrificing of human lives” and to engage in building bridges between the people.
With elections in the West African nation of Ivory Coast slated to take place later this year amid heightened tensions following the arrest warrant issued for one of the presidential candidates, a missionary cleric, a native of the country, has blamed politicians for the challenges bedeviling citizens.
As Catholic across the globe reflected on Pope Francis’ message for the 53rd World day of Peace marked Wednesday, January 1, 2020, an African Cardinal applied the Holy Father’s text to the situation of his country, recalled a decade-old “wounds which are struggling to heal” and called on his compatriots to take note of the Pontiff’s description of peace as “a great and precious value, the object of our hope and the aspiration of the entire human family.”
Following two violent cyclones that hit Mozambique early this year causing severe levels of food insecurity among the population including children, Catholic Children in Ivory Coast under the guidance of the National Directorate of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) have been encouraged to raise funds and reach out to their counterparts in the Southeastern African nation as a concrete sign of solidarity.
In line with the recommendations of Pope Benedict XVI's Post-synodal Exhortation Africae Munus in which he called on the Church in Africa to organize a day of prayer for reconciliation, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Ivory Coast (CECCI) is organizing an eight-day prayer event in all the dioceses of the country to pray for peace and reconciliation in the West African nation, beginning Advent Sunday, December 1.
As the Church in Africa continues to be missionary to itself by having clergy and religious men and women crossing diocesan and national ecclesiastical borders to evangelize following the 1969 encouragement of Pope Saint Paul VI to the people of God in Africa, a missionary serving on the continent has cautioned that the tendency of pastoral agents to enjoy a system of administration that obliges the laity to find them in offices rather than mutual interactions seems to hinder effective evangelization.
Days after the second edition of the Paris Peace Forum (PPF), which focused on governance solutions with emphasis on peace and security with some African countries represented came to an end in Paris, France on November 13, an African missionary priest has hailed the event as a “great initiative” but however expressed reservations on the success of such a move in Africa due to the lack of goodwill from powerful political players.
As the Extraordinary Missionary Month of October 2019 (EMMOCT2019) commissioned by Pope Francis under the theme “baptized and sent” ends this Thursday, a Church leader in the West African nation of Ivory Coast has encouraged a continued life of witnessing the values of the gospel beyond this month so that the mission of Jesus Christ is made “part of our daily lives.”
The contribution of the Little Work of Divine Providence (Orionists) in the evangelization ministry has been acknowledged with appreciation as members of the international religious congregation with presence in eight African countries are holding their first ever General Assembly on the African soil.
The movement of Young Christian Workers (YCW) within the region of West Africa has realized its first ever convention in the Ivorian economic capital, Abidjan in which participants are discussing the impact of social justice on decent work.
In the spirit of the 33rd International Meeting for Peace held from September 15 to 17 in Madrid, Spain, the Community of Sant'Egidio in collaboration with the religious leaders of Ivory Coast, is organizing an inter-religious meeting for peace in the country’s economic capital, Abidjan, an official has told ACI Africa.