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Seven Catholic cardinals and 123 Catholic bishops died within the last 12 months. Six U.S. bishops were among the deceased clergy remembered.
Cardinal Francis Prevost said the question of the selection process for bishops and the way in which it is carried out has been one of the issues discussed at the synod.
A public dispute between the German Bishops’ Conference president and his Polish counterpart took another turn on Monday.
The number of Catholics worldwide increased by almost 16 million in a year to 1.33 billion, according to statistics highlighted by the Vatican ahead of the 2020 World Mission Sunday.
Against the backdrop of the most recent case of killings in Cameroon’s Northwestern region that saw up to 22 people lose their lives including a pregnant woman and children, Catholic bishops from around the world have, in a collective statement dated Monday, February 17, called on President Paul Biya’s government to be part of the “proposed Swiss-led peace talks”.
Following months of post-elections unrest in the Southeast African nation of Malawi and a court hearing expected Friday, December 6 on an election petition challenging the May 21 poll, Catholic Bishops in the country have called on the estimated 16.8 million Malawians to accept the court ruling or challenge such outcome through “peaceful and constitutional mechanisms” even though the final verdict is expected in February 2020.
Bishops and priests have a duty to guard and protect the Catholics entrusted to their care; and they need the faithful’s prayers for this task, Pope Francis said at the general audience Wednesday.
Following the devastation occasioned by unprecedented torrential rains in parts of Kenya with the Government Spokesman giving Thursday, November 28 statistics of 118 deaths, 350,000 people displaced, and 16,700 houses destroyed across 32 counties in a span of two months, Catholic Bishops in the East African country have issued an appeal for humanitarian aid to save lives.
At a recent courtesy visit to their country’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo, Catholic Bishops in Ghana presented a petition requesting for the Presidential Charter to the Catholic University College of Ghana (CUCG) located in Fiapre within the Sunyani Diocese.
At the opening of the Plenary Assembly of the Bishops of Ghana, the President of Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC), Archbishop Philip Naameh appealed for a collaborative ministry that would see various pastoral agents including Bishops, priests, women and men religious, catechists, among others, cooperate in witnessing to Gospel values in a manner that can contribute to overcoming the challenges facing the Church in the West African nation.
While the reclamation of one of East Africa’s largest water towers, Mau Forest, has been welcomed by both political and religious leaders in the country, the process of evicting those who have settled in the catchment of the main rivers providing water to western Kenya has been faulted, with a section of Catholic Bishops who have spoken to ACI Africa demanding for a humane approach.
With the citizens of the youngest nation of the world, South Sudan, seemingly torn between apprehension and optimism against the backdrop of reports that the vice-president designate, Dr. Riek Machar wants the long-awaited November 12 date for the Transitional Government postponed yet again by another six months, the Catholic Bishops have delivered a message of hope and called on the citizens to “keep heads high.”
Informed by fears of the possible loss of Christian identity in the Central Africa nation of Congo-Brazzaville, Catholic Bishops have recently called on the people of God in their country to maintain their identity as followers of Christ, which they have described as a vocation that requires some distinction.
Three months after a majority of African countries ratified an agreement allowing the creation of a regional free-trade zone, which was seen as a major boost to intra-regional trade, Bishops in the West African country of Benin have raised concerns over the continued move by Africa’s largest economy to close borders shared by the two countries, thereby limiting trade and free movement of goods.
Calls for collaboration and the realization of synergies between Catholic Church institutions in Kenya ranging from entities under Bishops and those in the hands of religious orders characterized the Tuesday October 8 celebration to mark the golden jubilee of the Religious Superiors’ Conference of Kenya (RSCK).
When the dust around xenophobia mainly in South Africa seems to be settling amid high level interventions, members of the Standing Committee of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) have added their voice to those of the regional bodies of Bishops’ conferences, condemning xenophobic violence and reprisal attacks and called on governments and political actors to end hatred on the African continent.
As the countdown to Ghana’s referendum draws to a close, the Catholic Bishops in the West African country are prioritizing civic education, which they consider significant in having the citizens make an informed decision at the ballot.
In a country where cases of corruption involving colossal sums of money have often made headlines, the leadership of the Catholic Church in Kenya is making an intervention that will see Bishops make a commitment at a national event that will bring together clergy, women and men religious, and laity from across the East African country, one of the organizers told ACI Africa Wednesday.
The proposed Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) syllabus that seeks to teach sexuality at basic education levels in Ghana is being opposed by the country’s Catholic bishops who are interpreting the move as a subtle way of introducing homosexuality to school-going children.
In a situation where cases of human trade for purposes such as sexual slavery, forced labour and other forms of human exploitation for commercial gain are on the rise in Mozambique, the Catholic Bishops in the Southern Africa country are encouraging various stakeholders to work toward preventing and supporting victims of human trafficking.