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Bishop Bertram Johannes Meier of the Catholic Diocese of Augsburg in Germany. Credit: ACI Africa

German Catholic Bishop Encourages Nigerians to Foster Works of Mercy, “to put smiles in the faces of the poor”

Jan 16, 2025

The recent deadly stampede during food distribution in the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja that claimed the lives of 10 beneficiaries of St. Vincent de Paul Society's food-sharing initiative in the Nigerian Metropolitan See should not discourage Nigerians from engaging in works of mercy.

Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese in Nigeria. Credit: Abuja Catholic Archdiocese

Catholic Archbishop Lauds Fallen Nigerian Soldiers as “a reminder of Christ’s salvific sacrifice”

Jan 16, 2025

The Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese in Nigeria has paid tribute to the country’s military men and women who died in the line of duty, describing the fallen soldiers’ sacrifice as “a reminder of Christ’s salvific sacrifice”.

Today, January 16, We Celebrate St. Marcellus, Pope

Jan 16, 2025

Nothing of Marcellus' life before his papacy has survived the centuries. He became Pope at the end of the persecutions of Diocletian in aound 308-309. The persecutions had disrupted the Church so much that there had been a gap of over a year with no Pope. Once he was elected, he faced several challenges, including reconsituting the clergy, which had been decimated and whose remnant had practiced their vocation only covertly and with the expectation of martyrdom. 

Members of the Episcopal Conference of Benin (CEB). Credit: CEB

Church in Benin to “welcome”, Venerate Relics of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus in 2025 Jubilee Year Celebrations

Jan 15, 2025

Members of the Episcopal Conference of Benin (CEB) have unveiled a list of spiritual activities planned for the Catholic Church in the West African country during the 2025 Jubilee Year celebrations, including a veneration of the relics of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.

37 priests and religious sisters were kidnapped in 2024, an increase from 2023. Credit: ACN

Hope for Church in Nigeria as Fewer Priests, Consecrated Kidnapped in 2024, All “eventually released”: Report

Jan 15, 2025

A 2025 report that the Pontifical charity foundation, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, published on Monday, January 13 shows that 11 Priests and Religious were kidnapped in Nigeria in 2024, down from a total of 25 who were kidnapped in the previous year in the West African country.

Bento Sitongua

Angola’s Proposed Bill to Regulate Alcohol Sale, Consumption “necessary to correct harmful behaviors”: Catholic Official

Jan 15, 2025

The Coordinator of the Environment Department of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST) has lauded the proposed Bill that seeks to regulate the sale and consumption of alcohol in Angola.

Credit: Kimberley Catholic Diocese

South Africa’s Catholic Diocese of Kimberley Inaugurates Jubilee Year with Call to “revive the Sacrament of Confession”

Jan 15, 2025

The Catholic Bishop of Kimberley Diocese in South Africa has inaugurated the Jubilee Year in his Episcopal See with a call to “revive the Sacrament of Confession,” which, he laments, the people of God under his pastoral care “have turned away from”. He advocates for the reception of the Sacrament of Confession “at least once per month throughout the Jubilee Year”.

Church at the Good Shepherd Major Seminary in Kaduna, Nigeria. / Credit: Father Samuel Kanta Sakaba, rector of a Good Shepherd Major Seminary in Kaduna

Nigeria Tops Report for Number of Christians Killed, Kidnapped in 2024

Jan 15, 2025

The World Watch List, released Jan. 15, found that 3,100 Christians were killed and 2,830 Christians were kidnapped in Nigeria in 2024.

Bishop Duncan Tsoke was present during the launch of the Jubilee Year. Credit: Kimberley Catholic Diocese

South African Catholic Bishop Decries “specter of strained relationships”, Wants Diocesan Unity Fostered in Jubilee Year

Jan 14, 2025

The Catholic Diocese of Kimberley is grappling with the unpleasant and dangerous experience of “trained relationships”, the Local Ordinary of the South African Episcopal See has lamented. 

Two Catholic Sisters Abducted in Nigeria Released, “in good health” after Weeklong Captivity

Jan 14, 2025

The two members of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Mother of Christ (IHM), who were abducted on January 7 from Nigeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha have regained their freedom, the leadership of the Sisters’ Congregation in the West African nation has said.

Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja. Credit: Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja

Let’s Speak “language of collaboration rather than blame”: Catholic Archbishop in Nigeria on Ending Hunger, Saving Lives

Jan 14, 2025

The Local Ordinary of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese in Nigeria has appealed to the government of the West African country to work with the Church in ensuring that no one dies of hunger in the country.

Reference photo of a Priestly Ordination. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez / EWTN News.

Interpreting Church in Italy’s Seminary Document as Accepting Homosexual Priests “not a correct reading": Italian Bishop

Jan 14, 2025

The interpretation of the latest document, which Italy’s Catholic Bishops issued on the formation of Priests in the European nation, that it gives an opening towards the Priestly Ordination of men identifying as gay “is not a correct reading” of it, a Catholic Bishop in the country, whose capital city, Rome, is home to the Vatican, has clarified.

Bishop Bruno Ateba of Cameroon’s Catholic Diocese of Maroua-Mokolo. Credit: ACN

“Boko Haram has shrunk”: Catholic Bishop in Cameroon Corroborates Message of Nigerian Visionary Bishop

Jan 13, 2025

Boko Haram is no longer the lethal group that terrorized locals in the West African nation of Nigeria and parts of neighbouring countries through kidnappings and beheadings especially of Christians, a Catholic Bishop in Cameroon has said.

At Farewell Mass, Catholic Archbishop in South Africa Lauded for “naming things for what they are” Like John the Baptist

Jan 13, 2025

Archbishop Buti Joseph Tlhagale, whose retirement from the pastoral care of South Africa’s Catholic Archdiocese of Johannesburg the Holy Father accepted on 28 October 2024 has been lauded for his prophetic stance, not mincing his words.

Santos Gotine. Credit: ACI Africa

Caritas Official in Mozambique Blames “institutionalized” Corruption for Protracted Violence

Jan 13, 2025

The Secretary General of Caritas Mozambique has decried entrenched corruption in the Southern African nation, describing the vice as “institutionalized”, and called for leadership that prioritizes public welfare over personal gain.

Mons. Filippo Ciampanelli. Credit: Vatican Media

Under Secretary of Vatican Dicastery for Eastern Churches Assigned Titular See of Aquae in Mauritania

Jan 13, 2025

Pope Francis has assigned the Under Secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Eastern Churches, Mons. Filippo Ciampanelli, the Titular See of Aquae in the Northwestern African nation of Mauritania.

Today, January 13, We Celebrate St. Hilary of Poitiers

Jan 13, 2025

On January 13, Catholics celebrate St. Hilary of Poitiers, a fourth-century philosopher whose studies made him a champion of Orthodox Trinitarian theology during one of the most difficult periods of Church history. He protected the Church and its members by brilliantly defending the sacred humanity of Jesus while also defeating Arianism which denied Christ's placement within the Trinity. 

The Two Newly Created Cardinals in Africa Appointed to Vatican Dicasteries: Doctrine of Faith, Interreligious Dialogue

Jan 12, 2025

Pope Francis has appointed the recently created Cardinals in Africa to two Vatican Dicasteries as members, Ignace Cardinal Bessi Dogbo of Ivory Coast’s Catholic Archdiocese of Abidjan to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and his counterpart Jean-Paul Cardinal Vesco of Algeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Algiers, to the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

Cameroon Catholic Bishops’ Annual Seminar Ends with Call for Urgent Action to Address National Crises, Promote Peace

Jan 12, 2025

Members of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC) have expressed concern about the deteriorating social, economic, and political conditions in the country, urging both government officials and citizens to embrace responsible governance, national unity, and ethical leadership as critical steps towards sustainable development and peace.

Apostolic Nuncio in Cameroon Urges Christians to be “artisans of hope, peace” During 2025 Jubilee Year

Jan 12, 2025

The Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year offers the people of God in Cameroon an opportunity to foster peace and hope, the representative of the Holy Father in the Central African nation has said.