Africa

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Burkinabé soldiers patrol in Ouagadougou after the January 2022 coup.

Persecution of Christians worldwide has gotten worse, papal charity report says

Oct 22, 2024

By Jonah McKeown

The Aid to the Church in Need report, which covers August 2022 to June 2024, states that human rights violations... Read more

Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Cameroon, and Bishop Edouard Sinayobye of Rwanda talk with journalists at Synod on Synodality press briefings in October 2024.

African bishops speak: How has the Synod on Synodality impacted the Church in Africa?

Oct 22, 2024

By Kristina Millare

How has the Synod on Synodality impacted the Catholic Church in Africa? And, in turn, how has the Church in... Read more

Cardinals-elect Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, SVD; Archbishop Jaime Spengler, OFM; and Archbishop Ignace Bessi Dogbohe discuss the contributions of the Church outside Europe during a Synod on Synodality press briefing on Oct. 8, 2024.

New cardinals say Europe is becoming the Catholic Church’s new ‘peripheries’

Oct 8, 2024

By Hannah Brockhaus

“When the Holy Father is talking about peripheries, I think the peripheries are moving. ... Maybe the peripheries are moving... Read more

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Bishops tell young African digital influencers: ‘Brace for the challenges ahead’

Sep 22, 2024

By Agnes Aineah

Bishop Godfrey Onah reminded graduates of a digital media formation program that the digital world is still at the periphery... Read more

Worshippers attend a mass at Ouagadougou's Catholic cathedral on June 12, 2022, in Burkina Faso. The country has been grappling with Islamist terrorism since 2015 and Christian communities live in fear of furhter attacks.

Catholic communities in Burkina Faso ‘constantly living in fear’ 

Sep 5, 2024

By Jude Atemanke

Two Catholic priests serving in Burkina Faso have spoken about the threats that terrorist groups pose to Christians in the... Read more

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After 1,700 years, an ancient tree marks the vanished hometown of St. Augustine

Aug 28, 2024

By Daniel Payne

The famous saint is associated with the ancient city of Hippo, but before that, he lived in a now-vanished town... Read more

Cardinal Peter Turkson delivers the inaugural lecture at the opening of the 2024/2025 academic year of the Nairobi-based Hekima University College (HUC) on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024.

Cardinal Turkson explores evolution of power in Church, society in Kenya college lecture

Aug 23, 2024

By Jude Atemanke, João Vissesse

Ghanaian-born Cardinal Peter Turkson gave a lecture to open the new school year at the Nairobi, Kenya-based Hekima University College. Read more

Bishop Mark Maigida Nzukwein of Nigeria's Wukari Diocese and one of the church stewards who lost an eye.

Catholic diocese in Nigeria condemns brutal assault on priest by military

Aug 14, 2024

By Silas Isenjia

The Diocese of Wukari in Nigeria has condemned an attack on All Saints Catholic Church Ikyaior by the Nigerian military... Read more

In his remarks at the ordination of 23 new priests, Bishop Godfrey Igwebuike Onah expressed gratitude and joy for the growing number of priests serving in his Episcopal See in Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Nsukka on Aug. 10, 2024.

Number of Catholic priests for Nigerian diocese surpasses 400 with 23 new ordinations

Aug 13, 2024

By Jude Atemanke

The number of Catholic priests serving Nigeria’s Diocese of Nsukka has surpassed 400 following the ordination of 23 new priests... Read more

Church leaders celebrate at a launch event ahead of ACI Africa’s five-year anniversary on Aug. 9 2024.

Catholic bishops, Church leaders in Africa laud ACI Africa ahead of its 5th anniversary

Aug 8, 2024

By ACI Africa

Church leaders and groups throughout Africa extended their congratulations to ACI Africa, a service of EWTN News based in Nairobi,... Read more

Seminarians and their teachers at St. Augustine Major Seminary in Jos, Nigeria.

‘Survival mentality’ is impeding authentic formation in Africa’s seminaries, priest says

Jul 27, 2024

By Agnes Aineah

Seminarians in Africa are not allowed “to be themselves” and must find ways “to get by,” a Catholic priest from... Read more

A Christian woman stands next to a clothesline while taking refuge in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp at the Pilot Primary School after their houses were burnt as a result of religious strife in Mangu on Feb. 2, 2024, following weeks of intercommunal violence and unrest in the Plateau State.

Christian watchdog calls on U.S. to recognize persecution of Christians in Nigeria

Jul 23, 2024

By Kate Quiñones

“The outcry of Nigerian Christians is falling on deaf ears. It is time for the United States to answer their... Read more

Thousands of pilgrims are expected to participate in the 2024 pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Muxima scheduled to begin on Aug. 30 in Angola’s Catholic Diocese of Viana, Bishop Emílio Sumbelelo has said.

Thousands expected at annual pilgrimage to Our Lady of Muxima Shrine in Angola

Jul 22, 2024

By João Vissesse

Thousands of pilgrims are expected to participate in the 2024 pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Muxima Aug.... Read more

Bishops gathered at the19th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar in Accra, Ghana, July 2022.

U.S. bishops’ Solidarity Fund reminds Catholic to ‘stand with Africa’

Jul 14, 2024

By Gigi Duncan

Though plagued with various difficulties, Africa’s growth and vitality in Catholicism has made the continent a focal point in the... Read more

The president of the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SCBC), Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Mulla, reads a message from SCBC members on June 29, 2024.

Catholic bishops in Sudan: ‘Fabric of Sudanese society has been torn apart’

Jul 2, 2024

By Jude Atemanke

Members of the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference released a statement following their June 27–29 meeting expressing alarm about the country’s... Read more

Archbishop-elect Benjamin Phiri of the newly erected Archdiocese of Ndola in Zambia.

Pope Francis erects new metropolitan see in Zambia, appoints pioneer archbishop

Jun 18, 2024

By Silas Mwale Isenjia

The pope has erected the Archdiocese of Ndola in Zambia and appointed Bishop Benjamin Phiri as its first archbishop. Read more

Alfred Magero, Matthew Njogu, and Edward Chaleh Nkamanyi are three Catholic fathers from Africa who recently shared insights about being a present dad, protecting their families amid threats to the African family, and being a model of family values for their children with ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa.

Catholic fathers talk fatherhood, family values, and threats to the African family

Jun 17, 2024

By Agnes Aineah

Four fathers from three African countries share their experiences of fatherhood and what they’ve learned about being good dads. Read more

Sisters from the Salesian Sisters in Sudan serve the poor and needy in the midst of a brutal war in Sudan. The sisters commiunity, Dar Mariam, has been a refuge for hundreds, though has damaged by gunfire and bombs. May 2024.

Civil war in Sudan: What’s happening and why?

Jun 17, 2024

By Jonah McKeown

Amid the chaos and a complex set of competing political interests, children and the poor have been hit hardest. Read more

Father Gabriel Ukeh was kidnapped from Nigeria's Archdiocese of Kaduna on June 9, 2024.

Nigeria archdiocese appeals for prayers for priest abducted from parish rectory

Jun 10, 2024

By Jude Atemanke

The Archdiocese of Kaduna is appealing for the “urgent and safe release” of Father Gabriel Ukeh, who was abducted from... Read more

Peace reigns inside Dar Mariam, the residence of the Salesian Sisters in Sudan despite the fact that it has been surrounded by heavy gunfire and bombed multiple times as war rages on in the northeastern African country.

In midst of brutal war, Sudanese Catholic community says ‘relationship with God has grown’

May 31, 2024

By Agnes Aineah

Peace reigns inside Dar Mariam, the residence of the Salesian Sisters in Sudan, despite the fact that it has been... Read more