U.S. Pro-life Catholic Entity Reports Success in Africa, Over 10,000 Seminarians Trained

The group is working to reduce the rates in those countries “and 12 other Sub-Saharan nations, through education programs, pregnancy support, and advocacy.”

George Wirnkar, the regional director for French-speaking Africa at HLI, “has trained thousands of young men to the priesthood in the 25 years he has been with the global Catholic pro-life organization,” the release said. 

Annually, “Human Life International trains 4,500 priests and seminarians around the world.” 

The group says on its website that its missionaries “help seminarians understand the fullness of Church teaching on life and family. We give them practical pastoral guidance tailored to the needs of their area. And we help them get started defending life through clubs like Seminarians for Life.”

Some abortion advocates have lately focused efforts on increasing abortion services in Africa. The group MSI Reproductive Choices targets multiple African countries as part of its mission to facilitate abortion around the world. 

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In July at the Women Deliver 2023 Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, multiple groups including MSI Reproductive Choices participated in a panel exploring how to “strengthen increasing access to self-managed medical abortion in sub-Saharan Africa.”

A Reuters report from last year, meanwhile, revealed that the Nigerian military has carried out at least 10,000 brutal, secret abortions throughout the conflict against Boko Haram. 

Father Innocent Ahidje, a priest based in Benin, “taught his congregation the tenets of the Catholic teaching on life issues” based on Human Life International’s teachings, the group said in the press release. 

Ahidje in the release relayed the story of one husband who said the priest’s talks “opened my mind to the grave sins against life that my wife and I committed in abortion.”

“I rejoice because I have learned that abortion is not a method of family planning,” the husband said, calling the experience “a new beginning in the life of our young family.”

Emil Hagamu, Human Life International’s regional director in English-speaking Africa, said in the release that Western countries have “sent millions of dollars to Africa to pay for abortions and contraceptives, something that African women have not asked for.”

“Africa’s population has long been intentionally targeted for decimation,” he argued. “It is essential that the clergy of the Catholic Church be equipped to help their faithful people combat this culture of death.”

Daniel Payne is a senior editor at Catholic News Agency. He previously worked at the College Fix and Just the News. He lives in Virginia with his family.