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Africa
Jesuits in Africa Reviewing Formation Program to Suit Current Mission Trends
Against the backdrop of changes in mission contexts globally and especially in Africa, members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) involved in the formation of candidates for their diverse Church ministry under the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM) held a weeklong formation assembly last week during which 70 participants from across the continent, Jesuits and lay, deliberated on the situation of formation in their 485-year-old Society and sought to develop appropriate ways of forming their candidates for the contemporary mission.
Catholic Professionals in Ghana Encouraged to Make Their Church Presence Count
Over five decades since the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, which called for an active involvement of the laity in the apostolic life of the Church, Catholic professionals in Ghana’s Accra Archdiocese have been encouraged to heed that call by sharing their expertise within the context of the Church and making visible their presence.
Latest Rivals’ Pledge to Form South Sudan Unity Government “positive”, Two Priests Say
The December 17 announcement by South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and Vice-President designate Dr. Riek Machar that they have agreed to form a unity government by the February deadline has been described as a “positive” move by two South Sudanese clerics who have spoken to ACI Africa correspondent in Juba, the capital of the world’s youngest nation.
Uganda’s President Cautions Youth at Catholic Conference against Sex, Alcohol
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has cautioned youth drawn from various faith groups at a Catholic conference in the landlocked East African country against indulging in sex before marriage and to avoid the consumption of alcohol for such behaviors affect one’s life span and productivity.
Christian Leaders in Gambia Want their Country Declared a Secular State
Leaders of Christian denominations in The Gambia have, through their representative body, Gambia Christian Council, submitted a proposal to the Constitutional Review Commission to have the word “secular state” included in the preamble of the new Constitution that is being drafted.
There Were Over 800 Extremist Attacks in West Africa in 2019
Extremist attacks have risen dramatically in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, from 180 incidents in 2017 to more than 800 violent attacks in 2019, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
A U.S. Company Testing Chemical Abortion on Women in Africa: What We Know
After research initiatives on the effectiveness of abortion-inducing tablets for women who are at least 12 weeks pregnant failed to take off in the U.S., a research organization based in the same country decided, a couple of years ago, to cross several borders to the West African country of Burkina Faso to conduct the study, testing chemical abortion on women with limited resources, ACI Africa has established.
Fostering African Identity, Leadership Focus of Planned “Together for a New Africa” Forum
As African countries strive to achieve the aspiration of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 on good governance and democracy, a planned forum bringing together some 100 participants under the initiative, “Together For a New Africa”, the second gathering of its kind, will see young Africans from the Eastern Africa region and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) deliberate on their African identity and the dynamics around leadership that the continent requires to achieve the AU agenda.
Catholic Priest of Nigeria’s Issele-Uku Diocese, Freed by Abductors
A week after two Nigerian Catholic priests from Awka Diocese were released unharmed by abductors, another priest from Nigeria’s Issele-Uku Diocese in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State, Fr. Samuel Agwameseh has also been set free after three days with abductors, ACI Africa has been told.
Bishops in Kenya Want “a dialogue process” for Building Bridges Initiative (BBI)
Three weeks after the launch of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report, a document containing recommendations on ways of ending tribal animosity and embracing unity in Kenya, Catholic Bishops in the East African nation, under their umbrella body of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) have expressed the need for dialogue in view of building consensus around the proposals in the 156-page report.
May “Christmas 2019 bring long-awaited grace of effective peace,” DR Congo Bishop Prays
As Christians prepare for the yearly celebration of Christ’s nativity, Bishop Placide Lubamba Ndjibu of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Kasongo diocese has, in his message addressed to Catholic faithful and people of good will, appealed for unity and peace especially in the eastern part of the country, which has been experiencing insecurity.
Pope Appoints New Bishops for Dioceses in Burundi, Chad
Pope Francis on Tuesday, December 17 appointed Bishop Georges Bizimana who has been the coadjutor of Burundi’s Bonanza Diocese as the new Bishop of Ngonzi Diocese, located in the central part of the landlocked nation that is the meeting point between the African Great Lakes region and East Africa.
Catholic Teachers in Zambia to Enhance Sharing of Catholic Faith in Institutions
At a recent two-day meeting attended by over 100 Catholic teachers in Zambia’s Diocese of Mongu, an alliance of Catholic Teachers Association for the Diocese of Mongu (CATADOM) has been formed to enhance the sharing of Catholic faith in institutions within the diocese.
Challenges of Migrants among Issues Addressed in Ghana Bishops’ Christmas Message
As the world prepares to celebrate the mystery of the incarnation, God becoming man, and the events that followed thereafter, Bishops in the West African nation of Ghana have, in their Christmas message, used the example of the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt to seek refuge to highlight the challenges migrants go through and termed as “unchristian and unacceptable any acts of discrimination, stereotyping and physical attacks” against those seeking refuge.
Catholic Catechism, Bible Translated into Local Languages in Angola, Kenya
More than two decades after Pope St. John Paul II approved the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) as the official teachings of the Church, Angola’s Church leaders have implemented the translation of the document into Umbundu, the country’s second most spoken language after Portuguese. In Kenya’s Maralal Diocese, the natives can read the New Testament in Samburu language.
Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge Wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2019
Kenyan-born Catholic-raised Eliud Kipchoge who became the first ever world marathoner to run the 42-km race in less than two hours was Sunday, December 15 named the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) 2019.
“Free access to primary education irreversible,” DR Congo Bishops Say
Following challenges in implementing a constitutional provision allowing free access to basic education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) has made public its position on the matter, indicating that free access to primary education is irreversible and that relevant authorities need to give teachers adequate remuneration to avoid the deterioration of national education.
Lasting Peace Preoccupies Church Leaders in South Sudan Ahead of Christmas Festivities
Leaders of Christian denominations in the world’s youngest nation have, in their collective Christmas message, to advocate for lasting peace in their country, imploring the parties in conflict to engage in dialogue and make compromises to facilitate the formation of a unity government envisaged in the September 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
In Christmas Message, Bishops in Chad Decry Bad Governance, Want Selfless Leaders
The manner in which the north-central African nation of Chad is being governed is a cause for concern that has made the Catholic Bishops focus their collective Christmas message on the socio-political and economic challenges in their country, advocating for selfless and servant leadership.
Newly Appointed Kenyan Bishop Rotich: Early Desires, Military Apostolate, Returning Home
Appointed Saturday, December 14 to shepherd the people of God in Kenya’s Kericho Diocese by the Holy Father, Bishop Alfred Rotich, the retired Military Ordinariate Local Ordinary was born in the same diocese 62 years ago to a family of 13 children. This is part of the Rift Valley region, a place whose weather pattern, warm temperate climate and slightly acidic soil is appropriate for agriculture, with inhabitants engaged in large scale tea farming as their main cash crop.
