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Africa
Bishops in Zimbabwe “close all Catholic Churches for public services” Over COVID-19
With three confirmed COVID-19 cases and one related death in Zimbabwe, Catholic Bishops in the Southern African nation on Tuesday, March 24 resolved to close all Churches in the country, to facilitate “effective self-isolation for all.”
South Sudan’s Juba Archdiocese Suspends Public Mass over COVID-19 in Neighboring Nations
In a keen adherence to the directives of South Sudan government to stop social gatherings as a measure to prevent the outbreak of COVID-19 in the East African country, which is yet to record a case of the deadly virus, the Catholic Archdiocese of Juba has announced the closure of all Catholic-run institutions in the country’s only Metropolitan See.
Pope Francis Gives Special Apostolic Blessing, "Urbi et Orbi", During Coronavirus Pandemic
On Friday, before an empty and rain-covered St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis held Eucharistic adoration and gave an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing, praying for the world during the coronavirus pandemic which has killed more than 25,000 people.
“The war to be fought is against COVID-19,” Religious Leaders in Mauritius United
Religious leaders in Mauritius have come together to demonstrate their unity of purpose in the fight against the spread of COVID-19 in their country and invited citizens in the Island nation to stand together in the battle.
Stakeholders in CAR Consult to Prevent Spread of COVID-19 with 5 Confirmed Cases
With just five confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Central African Republic (CAR), stakeholders of various institutions in the country, including Catholic Church leaders, held a meeting to consult on ways to prevent the spread of the deadly virus that is claiming precious lives in other parts of the world, including African nations.
“They call me a lepers’ Priest,” Irish SVD Cleric Ministering among Neglected in Ghana
Eighty-year-old Gladys Adobea, a survivor of leprosy has found home at Weija Leprosarium, a facility for people who have been cured of leprosy that is located about five miles from Ghana’s capital city, Accra.
Malian Bishop Vocal for Release of Colombian Nun Abducted in 2017 Transferred
Pope Francis has transferred Malian Bishop Jean-Baptiste Tiama, a key figure in advocating for the release of a Colombian nun abducted in February 2017, from Mali’s Sikasso diocese to become the new Bishop of Mopti diocese.
“It's my 14th day in Kenya, I’ve no COVID-19 symptoms,” Priest Says, Faults Media Reports
The Kenyan priest, Fr. Richard Oduor who, according to government authorities in Kenya, tested positive for COVID-19 and got hospitalized days after returning from Italy has said that on the 14th day since he traveled back to Kenya, he does not feel any of the known symptoms of the virus that has claimed more than 24,000 lives across the globe.
Burkinabé Archbishop First African Catholic Prelate Known to Test Positive for COVID-19
The Archbishop emeritus of Burkina Faso’s Koupela Archdiocese, Séraphin François Rouamba has tested positive for COVID-19, the Episcopal Conference of Burkina Faso and Niger (CEBN) has confirmed in a March 25 statement.
Call Centre Offering Psychological Support for COVID-19 Cases Functional in Ivory Coast
With 80 COVID-19 cases confirmed in Ivory Coast, a priest in the West African country has opened a call centre to offer psychological support to Ivorians weighed down by the emotional burden of the highly contagious global pandemic.
Ghanaians Anchor National Prayer and Fasting Day on Thanksgiving and Repentance
Christians and Muslims in the West African nation of Ghana observed a day of prayer and fasting Wednesday, March 25 using a ten-point prayer guide that detailed specific prayers against the spread of COVID-19.
Ethiopia’s Gambella Vicar Apostolic First Bishop Known to Die of COVID-19
The Vicar Apostolic of Ethiopia’s Gambella Vicariate, Bishop Angelo Moreschi has succumbed to COVID-19, the first known Catholic Prelate to die of the pandemic.
Suspect in Murder of a Gabonese Nun Confesses Crime
A man suspected of physically assaulting, raping and murdering a Gabonese nun whose body was found on Friday, March 20 has confessed his crime, amid a public call for justice for the nun who dedicated her life to the service of the poor in the West African country.
Ghanaian Clergy, Religious, Seminarians in Rome Take “precautionary measures to stay safe”
With Italy ranked the world’s worst-hit country by COVID-19, the clergy, religious and seminarians who are natives of Ghana and based in the country’s capital, Rome have, in an interview with ACI Africa correspondent, said that they are taking seriously directives from the Italian government as precautionary measures to stay safe.
COVID-19 “an opportunity to reflect on the way we live, to convert”: Togolese Prelate
As countries around the world put in place measures to control the spread of COVID-19 including an appeal, sometimes enforced, for citizens to “stay at home,” a Catholic Prelate in the West African nation of Togo has taken a positive view of the situation, saying it offers the people of God an opportunity to reflect on their respective lives, seek conversion and draw closer to God.
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.
Ugandan Nun Eyes Coveted Global Teacher Prize for Transforming Ex-Rebels’ Lives
Some day in 1986 when the Lord’s Resistance Army, an infamous rebel group that terrorized people in the northern parts of Uganda, was at the height of their activities in the East African landlocked nation, a young Catholic nun who had just professed as a religious felt hopeless at the sight of the torture that people underwent at the hands of the rebels.
Kenyan Media Framing of Church “as weak link, agent of death, unethical,” Catholics Decry
The recent negative media framing of the Church in Kenya as “a weak link” and “an agent of death” has been condemned and termed unethical, with a section of Catholics in the East African nation calling on the institution that regulates media standards, the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), to sanction the implicated media outlets.
Cameroon’s Douala Archdiocese Entrusted to “protection of the Virgin Mary” amid COVID-19
As governments in Africa struggle to contain the spread of COVID-19, with some nations seeking divine intervention by holding National Prayer Days, the Catholic Church in Cameroon’s Douala Archdiocese held a prayer procession to entrust the central African state to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
U.S.-Based Kenyan Capuchin Friar Decries Use of His Image for COVID-19 Positive Priest
A Kenyan-born Franciscan Capuchin Friar based in the U.S. has lamented the use of his picture by multiple media outlets in Kenya to tell the story of the Kenyan priest who is among the 26 individuals in the East African nation infected with COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.
