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South Africa
“Main challenge facing South Africa now is saving lives”: Church Leaders in South Africa
Leaders of various Christian denominations in South Africa have, in a collective statement, identified the saving of human life amid COVID-19 as “the main challenge” the people of God in their country are facing and called for a response that is “holistic and humane.”
“It is unwise to open churches at this time for public worship”: South African Archbishop
Days after two Local Ordinaries in South Africa announced the postponement of the reopening of churches in their jurisdictions, the Archbishop of Cape Town has also made a similar announcement, saying it is unwise to gather amid increasing COVI-19 infections in the country.
South Africa’s Durban and Klerksdorp Dioceses Postpone Reopening of Churches
Days after the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa announced the possible resumption of public worship beginning June 1, a move the Catholic Bishops in the country supported, the Archbishop of Durban and the Bishop of Klerksdorp diocese have decided to postpone the reopening of the places of worship in their respective jurisdictions to allow for adequate preparations, including awareness workshops for Priests.
Plan to Reopen Places of Worship in South Africa Draws Mixed Reactions from Church Leaders
The announcement by South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa May 26 that places of worship may reopen beginning from June 1 has elicited mixed reactions from church leaders in the country, some welcoming the move and others terming it as questionable.
Church in South Africa Reaches Out to Poor Families Defying Lockdown to Beg
Hard pressed to evade starvation amid stringent COVID-19 restrictions, poor families in South Africa are risking contagion and moving from house to house to beg, a situation that has attracted the attention of Salesian missionaries working in the Southern African country.
Nuns in South Africa Donate Food, Protective Gear to Needy amid COVID-19 Lockdown
With reported increasing cases of job losses and food shortage in South Africa following the COVID-19 lockdown in the country, charity organizations have come out strongly to support the most adversely affected.
Some Items Stolen from South Africa’s Oldest Cathedral Recovered
Some of the items stolen from Our Lady of the Flight into Egypt Cathedral of Cape Town Archdiocese, South Africa’s oldest Cathedral, have been positively identified and recovered, the Cathedral Administrator has confirmed.
“You are missed,” Bishops Pen Letter to Laity in Botswana, Swaziland, South Africa
The members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) have, in a pastoral letter, expressed solidarity with their laity who they say are experiencing stress owing to the COVID-19-related restrictions in Botswana, South Africa and Swaziland.
Church Leaders in South Africa Urge Use of WhatsApp to Fight Gender-Based Violence
In South Africa where COVID-19 restrictions have plunged the country into various crimes including police brutalities and a rise in cases of gender-based violence (GBV), church leaders drawn from 30 Christian denominations have condemned the crimes and encouraged the use of WhatsApp to report cases of violence founded on gender.
South Africa’s Oudtshoorn Diocese Gets a New Bishop
Pope Francis has appointed Fr. Noel Andrew Rucastle as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
"We need to find each other, work together" in fighting COVID-19: South African Bishop
A Bishop in South Africa is calling on the people of God to come together in the fight against COVID-19 in his country where at least 3,465 cases have been confirmed, the highest number in Africa.
Oldest Cathedral in South Africa Desecrated, Prelate Asks Faithful to Offer Reparation
Our Lady of the Flight into Egypt Cathedral of South Africa's Cape Town Archdiocese, the oldest Cathedral in the country, which is also referred to as St. Mary’s Cathedral, was vandalized last Saturday, a Church official has confirmed.
“I look forward to working with everybody”: Archbishop-elect of Bloemfontein, South Africa
The Archbishop-elect of South Africa’s Bloemfontein Archdiocese is looking forward to a collaborative ministry with the people of God who will be under his care, he has said in an interview.
Amid COVID-19, “let us support Church’s ministry to poor, vulnerable”: Zambia Bishops
At a time when governments across the globe have been forced to expend their resources in the fight against the spread of COVID-19, Bishops in the southern Africa nation of Zambia are encouraging the people of God in their country to reach out to the poor and vulnerable in their midst rather than expect foreign donations.
Rome-based Catholic Lay Religious Order Supporting Fight against COVID-19 in Africa
The Order of Malta, a Rome-based Catholic lay Religious Order that is active in some 120 countries, is supporting efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Africa where the centuries old institution is present in over 30 nations.
Pope Francis Transfers, Elevates South African Bishop Overseeing Formation of Laity
On April 1, Pope Francis transferred the Bishop Zolile Peter Mpambani from South Africa’s Kokstad diocese to the Metropolitan See of Bloemfontein, elevating him as Archbishop.
COVID-19 Measures "may call clergy, religious to share our own food": South African Bishop
As South Africans continue to observe the 21-day nation-wide lockdown declared to control the spread of COVID-19, the Bishop of Mthatha diocese has called on the clergy and religious in his diocese to consider making sacrifices that would include giving from their own food reserves to help those adversely affected by the stay-at-home directive.
Church Leaders Express Solidarity with African Cardinal Being Treated for COVID-19
The news of the hospitalization of the President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), Phillip Cardinal Ouédraogo, with COVID-19 was received with shock across the continent, with Catholic Church leaders known to the Burkinabe Prelate expressing their solidarity in messages seen by ACI Africa.
Dioceses in Africa Seek to Align Pastoral Guidelines with State Directives over COVID-19
With at least 2,455 cases of COVID-19 confirmed across not less than 43 countries in Africa, various Catholic dioceses on the continent have announced pastoral guidelines aligned with directives issued by their respective governments in a bid to control the spread of the virus.
Bishops in Southern Africa Commit to Combat Human Trafficking
Bishops from nine countries in Southern Africa have, under their umbrella body of the Inter-regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA), expressed their commitment to fighting human trafficking in the region.
