Given the many challenges the world is facing, next year’s World Youth Day should be a gathering filled with life and strength, Pope Francis said to the Portugal event’s organizers. “In the midst of all these crises, you have to prepare and help so that the August 2023 event is a young event, a fresh…
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They have lost the prophetic voice they had in the days of apartheid. They have no longer been able to effectively guide the action of politics. Too many gaps to bridge. The death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu on St Stephens Day 2021, occasioned many reflections on his public witness, his prophetic leadership in the anti-apartheid…
Read moreThe EU’s plan of an oil embargo on Russia and to reduce its gas imports from this destination is offering opportunities to African oil and gas exporters. But only to a certain extent. Limited infrastructure prevents Africa to provide a complete alternative in the short-term. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the EU…
Read moreSchools, female entrepreneurship, microcredit. These are some of the initiatives of the Oblates of Mary in this small African country. Cacine is a village of mud-brick houses, covered with metal sheets or palm leaves, built side by side along two dirt paths, where hens, goats, and pigs roam, and where children play. This small town…
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Marriage is related to the continuation of the family and the community among the Asheninka, an indigenous population who lives in the central forest of the Ucayali district in the province of Atalaya in eastern Peru. Both types of marriage, the monogamous and the polygamous, are practiced among the Asheninka. If a man opts for…
Read moreThe country is divided between two worlds, the world of the poor and the world of the middle class. To understand South Africa, it is important to recognise this. The economy, health care, education and the social life of South Africa is divided into these two worlds. When COVID struck, the impact on these two…
Read moreA small people of Mauritania compelled to change their lifestyle to survive. They once lived in the desert where they hunted wildlife and gathered wild fruits and herbs. Today they raise dromedaries. Despite being relegated to the margins of society, the Nemadi have never lost their liberty. To the south of Oualata, one may meet with…
Read moreThe folk art of phulkari, that represents the tradition and culture of Punjab, is now regaining popularity globally. If it is colourful, geometrical and traditional, it is got to be phulkari, – the magnificent hand embroidery from Punjab. Literally meaning floral work, phulkari has been synonymous with the people and the culture of Punjab for…
Read moreCrowded cells, a corrupt judicial system, a health crisis aggravated by the Coronavirus. A Comboni nun committed to enforcing the rights of prisoners in the largest prison in Kinshasa. It is five o’clock in the morning, the sun starts to make its heat felt. A long queue of people wait outside Makala prison gates. Visits…
Read moreOne morning, once upon a time, the tortoise had a very pleasant surprise when he came out of his hiding place under a rock. He found himself in the midst of a lot of delicious mushrooms. They had come out of the ground overnight. He started to eat them enjoyably. It was not long before…
Read moreFrom Zimbabwe to South Africa and Kenya, Women Rangers are fiercely defending wildlife against poachers. In their camouflage uniforms and armed with assault rifles, they scour the Phundundu Wildlife area in Zimbabwe, the natural habitat of 11,000 elephants. These are the Akashinga women rangers, a name that means courageous in the Shona language. As part…
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Off the southern coast of Mozambique, there lies an uncontaminated paradise of six islands surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. The union of land and sea has its own special magical alchemy The habitat is uncontaminated, a place where land and ocean embrace according to the cycle of tides or the blowing…
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When asked how a farmer’s daughter who became a Catholic nun ended up as one of Brazil’s most influential refugee advocates, Sister Rosita Milesi, 79,…
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Vusi was an honest man and a hard worker. He had cleared a large piece of moorland and turned it into a beautiful fertile field. He…
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On 24 November, the Solemnity of Christ the King, on the occasion of World Youth Day in the Particular Churches, in St. Peter's Basilica the traditional…
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