In the Bay of Manila, north of the Philippine capital, it is already possible to see what awaits the inhabitants of the coastal regions of the world: entire areas being swallowed up by the sea. Perhaps hardest hit is Sitio Pariahan in the province of Bulakan – once a flourishing village but now accessible…
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Just over a century after he died as a martyr, Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916), who brought the Gospel to Islamic lands and lived among the Tuareg people in the Algerian desert, will be proclaimed a saint later this year. Charles called himself a “missionary monk” and came to establish his hermitage in the desert…
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With a new Apostolic Letter Antiquum Ministerium (Ancient Ministry), Pope Francis establishes the lay ministry of catechist. In Africa catechists have been the cornerstone of the church. We present three stories of the catechists in South Sudan, where they have been important actors in the work of evangelisation. The beginning of the Catholic Church in…
Read moreAmong the waci (a name that means ‘the souls of our ancestors dwell here’) of southern Togo, the birth of a child is seen as a precious gift, a sign of divine blessings. We now consider the breech delivery. Unusual births, ones that are so difficult that they endanger the life of the mother or…
Read moreIn April and May 2021, two groups of French officers (both retired and serving) from different branches of the armed forces wrote open letters to politicians to denounce the degrading of French institutions and society. In their opinion, this is due mainly to the growth of identity politics and groups that challenge French culture and…
Read moreThere are at least eighteen countries, where children are recruited and used in armed conflicts. From regular army to rebels, from guerrilla movements to drug cartels. The phenomenon has assumed the status of a humanitarian disaster. Dahara was 15 and had never used a weapon until he arrived in Libya, together with his eighteen-year-old cousin…
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Despite challenges of unemployment, corruption, entrenched political leadership, and political violence, many African youth have found constructive avenues to promote peace, effective governance and reform. Africa remains the world’s youngest continent with a median age of 19.7 years. By 2050, one in three young people will live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Still, 80-90 percent of African…
Read moreIt is estimated that there are 152 million children in the world who are compelled to work with 72.1 million of these in the African continent alone. Out of these, 31.5 million are engaged in heavy and dangerous work. Covid-19 has aggravated the situation. Before sunrise, Jean Pierre sets out on the rough path that…
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As the security continues to deteriorate in Eastern Congo, President Tshisekedi declared a “State of Siege” on the 6 May and considers to expand it indefinitely as long as the situation does not improve. Eighteen years after the official end of the war in Eastern Congo, and the presence since 1999 of over 20,000 UN…
Read moreThe 24 May coup against an attempt to reduce the influence of the military has increasee tensions between the authorities and their main supporter in the war against the jihadists that could be lost since France and its Sahelian allies do not appear to share any longer the same strategy. Meanwhile, the jihadists are making…
Read moreA country broken by years of civil war. The difficult journey towards reconstruction. The need for reconciliation and forgiveness. Comments by Mons. Jesús Ruiz, the new bishop of Mbaiki, in the southwest of the country. For eight and a half years, we have been immersed in brutal armed conflict. As the Church, we live this…
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The purpose of private companies is to develop activities that report on economic benefits to their shareholders or owners. Few private companies, apart from seeking economic performance, have in their statutes an altruistic purpose that seeks the integral development of people or the protection of the environment. The legal regulation of companies is always in…
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“We want to create a federation of international journalistic organisations that collaborate in this effort, starting from the global South,” says Filipino journalist and 2022…
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Once upon a time, there was a leopard. He had a huge walnut tree that was full of nuts. Stingy as he was, however, he forbade…
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Three young Comboni missionaries from three continents share their vocation stories and missionary experiences. Fr Victor Cunanan Parungao from the Philippines reflects on 15 years of…
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