Cardinal quashes gay priesthood protests Jan 07, 2006History Hope and Responsibility

Pastoral Statement on the Social Situation in South Africa before the Local Government Elections.

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March 10, 2006
 Aid agencies says 3.5 million Kenyans face starvation
Millions of Kenyans could starve to death unless emergency food supplies are delivered soon.

March 7, 2006
Church official: Boost skills training to help poor South Africans
South Africa's poor majority will start to feel the benefits of South Africa's booming economy when government spending on skills training increases, a church official said.

Feb. 24, 2006
Ruling party blocks Ugandan Catholic radio from election reporting
A high-ranking government official who ran for re-election in northern Uganda ordered a Catholic-owned radio station to stop broadcasting election coverage during national elections Feb. 23.

Feb. 21, 2006
In Uganda, church works to ensure clean presidential election
As Ugandan elections approached, the Catholic Church and Christian groups took a leading role in trying to ensure that the presidential candidate chosen by the people is the candidate who actually wins.

Feb. 20, 2006
Pope tells African bishops work with Muslims can promote harmony
Working with Muslims in charity and development projects can promote harmony while also serving the poor, Pope Benedict XVI told bishops from four West African nations.

Feb. 1, 2006
Ugandan church leader urges U.N. to help Great Lakes peace process
A church leader from Uganda urged the U.N. Security Council to take a comprehensive approach to ending the 20-year war between Ugandan rebels and the government.

Jan. 27, 2006
Pope praises Congolese priests, bishops, urges them to heal rifts
Pope Benedict XVI praised the courage and dedication shown by priests and religious who continued to stay close to citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo during the country's civil strife.

Jan. 10, 2006
Empty hospital beds in Rwanda show cholera epidemic is fading
Many of the beds set up to deal with a cholera epidemic at the Masaka Health Center are empty. But Joyce Ngoma, a nurse at the church-supported health center on the outskirts of the Rwandan capital, said the empty beds are a recent development.

Jan. 9, 2006
U.S.-born Jesuit says Zambian president fears strong opposition
Zambia's president has criticized the nation's bishops because their emphasis on dialogue creates a stronger opposition, said a U.S.-born Jesuit who has lived in Zambia since the late 1980s.

Dec. 21, 2005
Nigerian archbishop calls for credible election in 2007
A leading Nigerian archbishop has called on the nation's president to put the necessary machinery in place for a credible election in 2007.

Dec. 9, 2005
Southern African bishops condemn court ruling on same-sex marriage
Bishops in southern Africa condemned a South African high court ruling that it is it unconstitutional to deny same-sex couples the right to marry.

Dec. 5, 2005
Zimbabwean church official says elections don't help starving people
The estimated 10 percent voter turnout in Zimbabwe's elections for a new Senate was not surprising as the country's food, fuel and foreign currency shortages worsen, said Alouis Chaumba, who heads Zimbabwe's Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace.

Nov. 22, 2005
In rural Rwanda, antiretroviral drugs give hope, life to HIV patients
Drugs which delay the onset of full-blown AIDS are a rarity in rural Rwanda. But the Muhura health center, which is staffed by Oblate Sisters of the Holy Spirit, is one place they can be obtained.

Nov. 21, 2005
Belgian priest held in Rwanda returns home to face investigation
A Belgian priest charged with genocide in Rwanda has been returned home and faces an investigation by Belgian authorities.

Nov. 14, 2005
Refrain from lying, negative campaigning, Kenyan bishops urge leaders
Kenyan Catholic bishops have urged leaders to refrain from issuing derogatory statements in public and from lying to Kenyans during referendum campaigns for the country's proposed new constitution.

Nov. 9, 2005
Rwandan court rules Belgian priest can return home for genocide trial
A Rwandan court has ruled a Belgian priest can be sent home to his country to be tried on charges of genocide.

Oct. 31, 2005
In Tanzania, trial resumes for priest accused in Rwandan genocide
The trial of a Catholic priest accused of ordering his church destroyed to kill Tutsi refugees inside it during the 1994 Rwandan genocide resumed at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania.

Oct. 28, 2005
Rwanda, Belgium agree to transfer priest's case to Brussels
The Rwandan and Belgian governments have agreed to transfer the case of a Belgian priest accused of helping to mastermind the 1994 genocide from Kigali to Brussels.

Oct. 25, 2005
Bishops say West needs to continue to support Africa's growing church
Western countries need to continue to support the church in Africa, not take advantage of its growing number of priests to fill priestless parishes abroad, said three African bishops.

Oct. 24, 2005
Supporters say Belgian priest held in Rwanda defended human rights
A Belgian priest held in a Rwandan prison after being accused of complicity in Rwanda's 1994 genocide was a leading advocate for human rights in Africa, said colleagues who continue to maintain the priest's innocence.

Oct. 20, 2005
Church leaders say southern Africa's farmers need long-term solutions
More must be done to help farmers avoid food crises that again threaten southern African countries, said church leaders in Malawi and Zambia.

Oct. 06, 2005
New Liberian government to face 'tremendous challenges,' priest says
The government formed after Liberia's Oct. 11 elections will face "tremendous challenges," but people on the streets "sound positive and energetic" about the promise of peace, said a U.S. priest who visited the country

Oct. 04, 2005
Truth process not set, but Burundi's church begins reconciliation
The biggest sponsor of soccer matches in Burundi these days is not a beer company or an auto manufacturer, but the Catholic Church.

Sep. 26, 2005
Cardinal says Sudan must guarantee rights or face peace-deal collapse
The fragile peace process in Sudan is in danger of collapsing into civil war unless the Islamic government guarantees the rights of non-Muslims, said a Sudanese cardinal.

Sep. 22, 2005
Nigerian bishops condemn increase in violent crime, robbery
Nigerian bishops have condemned an increase in violent crimes and armed robbery, including those at churches and other places of worship.

Sep. 12, 2005
Accused Belgian priest's case moved to Rwandan criminal court
The case of a Belgian priest arrested on charges of helping incite genocide has been transferred to a criminal court, where he could face the death penalty.

Sep. 9, 2005
Belgian priest's arrest in Rwanda forces more questions on genocide
The arrest of a Belgian missionary at the Kigali airport on charges that he incited people to kill in the 1994 genocide has forced the church to answer more questions about the role of its members in the slaughter.

Sep. 2, 2005
Plight of Zimbabweans in South Africa alarms church officials
The plight of Zimbabweans who have fled to neighboring South Africa to escape political and economic hardships has alarmed South African Catholic officials as well as a church delegation from Zimbabwe.

Aug. 16, 2005
CRS begins food distribution in drought-stricken Niger
After the first delivery of emergency food aid was made in her province in drought-stricken Niger, a mother told a Catholic Relief Services worker, "We're going to eat until we can't eat anymore."

Aug. 11, 2005
U.S. bishop calls for more pressure to stop violence in Darfur
International pressure must be applied to the Sudanese government and rebel forces in order to end the violence and suffering in the Darfur region, said the chairman of the U.S. bishops' international policy committee.

July 27, 2005
South African aid to Zimbabwe gets 'no' vote from Cardinal Napier
South Africa would be "most reckless" to send aid to Zimbabwe, which is "in absolute chaos," said Cardinal Wilfrid F. Napier, president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference.

July 22, 2005
Kenyans mourn death of slain missionary bishop
Some 4,000 Kenyans attended an emotional funeral Mass for slain Bishop Luigi Locati of Isiolo, an Italian missionary who had worked in Kenya for 40 years.

July 20, 2005
Vatican official urges harmony in Africa's Great Lakes region
Despite the horrors of war that led them to flee their homes, refugees from Africa's Great Lakes region must learn to recognize all people as their brothers and sisters and work for reconciliation, said Cardinal Renato Martino.

July 18, 2005
Pope calls Italian bishop murdered in Kenya 'heroic missionary'
Pope Benedict XVI said an Italian bishop shot and killed in Kenya July 14 was a "heroic missionary" and a "selfless witness to the Gospel."

July 15, 2005
Italian missionary bishop shot dead in northeast Kenya
An Italian missionary bishop who had just learned Pope Benedict XVI had accepted his retirement was shot July 14 outside the Isiolo pastoral center.

July 14, 2005
In Tanzania, first lady praises church-run AIDS treatment program
U.S. first lady Laura Bush praised a church-run AIDS-treatment center in Tanzania, calling it "a good example of the tremendous efforts of faith-based organizations around the world."

July 12, 2005
Church workers say Darfur's real fight is over resources
church workers providing aid to some of the more than 2 million people displaced by fighting in western Sudan's Darfur region say that behind the violence lies a bitter struggle over diminishing supplies of water and arable land.

July 6, 2005
Congolese bishops ask government to set date for elections
Catholic bishops in Congo have called on their government to set a date for national elections amid rising instability and lawlessness.

July 5, 2005
Pope praises Zimbabwe's bishops for pre-election letter
Pope Benedict XVI praised Zimbabwe's bishops for reminding the nation's politicians of the importance of working together for the common good and for their recent pastoral letter.

June 30, 2005
Aid agencies in Darfur navigate red tape, danger to serve displaced
The Darfur region of Sudan is one of the hardest places on earth to deliver humanitarian assistance. There is the heat and harsh terrain. Sandstorms regularly blot out the sky. Bandits attack convoys of relief goods. And at times the Sudanese government seems determined to prevent aid from reaching those who need it.

June 27, 2005
Darfur's 2 million refugees languish in camps over security issues
While the Sudanese government encourages some refugees in the Darfur region to return home, aid workers here report that conditions for a safe return do not exist in most areas.

June 27, 2005
Two Catholic women lawyers have spent decade codifying Uganda's laws
Uganda will be a different country because of two Catholic women from opposite sides of the planet who have been working side by side in St. Paul for the past decade.

June 27, 2005
U.S. bishop condemns wave of demolitions in Zimbabwe
The international community should pressure Zimbabwe's government to stop a widely criticized wave of shantytown demolitions that has left hundreds of thousands homeless, said the head of the U.S. bishops' international policy committee.

June 24, 2005
Zimbabwean archbishop says he's ready to die in defense of people
Zimbabwean Archbishop Pius Ncube said he would rather die than stay silent in the face of widespread human rights abuses in his country.

June 22, 2005
Ecumenical aid effort helps sexual violence victims in Darfur
Kaltouma Harroon Musa cooks her family's meals in her hut of dried mud and thatch in a Sudanese refugee camp over a wood stove that may have saved her from horrible violence.

June 22, 2005
At audience, pope confirms African synod, relaxes with crowd
With a dozen African cardinals and bishops seated behind him at his weekly general audience, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he was confirming Pope John Paul II's decision to convoke a second Synod of Bishops for Africa.

June 20, 2005
Zimbabwe bishops condemn demolition of shantytowns
Zimbabwe's bishops, in a pastoral letter, said the government's demolition of shantytowns was a "gross injustice done to the poor."

June 15, 2005
South African church leaders praise dismissal of deputy president
Church officials have hailed South African President Thabo Mbeki's decision to fire his deputy, Jacob Zuma, who was implicated in the corruption conviction of his former financial adviser.

June 9, 2005
Zimbabwe's bishops tell government to stop violence immediately
Zimbabwe's bishops criticized the government's "Operation Restore Order," which has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes, and called on the authorities to "stop this violence immediately."

May 27, 2005
Cardinal says African Catholics have numbers, but faith must mature
While the Catholic Church in Africa is experiencing rapid growth and large numbers of religious vocations, Cardinal Peter Turkson of Cape Coast, Ghana, said he worries about the nature of the growth.

May 6, 2005
Sudanese offer stories of hope, life, faith in struggle to be free
During informal conversations, many Sudanese reveal how deeply a two decades-long civil war has touched them.

March 31, 2005
At Rome press conference, Rwandan rebels pledge steps toward peace
Leaders of a Rwandan rebel movement based in Congo promised to stop attacks on their homeland and promised to root out the "ethnic hatred" that has covered Africa's Great Lakes region in blood.

March 28, 2005
Zimbabwean archbishop predicts president will buy election
As Zimbabwe prepared for parliamentary elections March 31, Archbishop Pius Ncube said the poll would not be free and fair.

March 14, 2005
Vatican official says displaced Africans, refugees need more help
Facing hunger, rape and death, refugees and displaced people in Sudan's Darfur region and throughout Africa must be given greater assistance by the international community, a Vatican official said.

Jan. 26, 2005
Report says racial divisions remain in South African Catholicism
More than a decade after the end of apartheid, racial divisions remain in the South African church, said the justice and peace department of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference.

Jan. 18, 2005
Church officials cautiously optimistic about Sudanese peace agreement
Church officials are cautiously optimistic that the recently signed peace agreement between the Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement will translate into real peace.

Dec. 22, 2004
In Rome, Sudanese refugees caught in frustrating waiting game
"All of us want to construct a future and get out of the tunnel that we are in here," said Nur Khamis, a refugee stuck in Rome.

Dec. 22, 2004
Hopelessness brews in Sudan as Darfur violence continues, report says
Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-based global confederation of Catholic social service and development organizations, said Darfur is "a tinderbox of war, dread and very little hope."

Nov. 24, 2004
Changes, challenges: African church blueprint is work in progress
It came as a bit of a surprise when the pope announced that he was calling a new African synod of bishops to deal with new pastoral and social challenges on the continent.

Nov. 17, 2004
Bishop calls for international action in Darfur
The outgoing president of the U.S. bishops' conference said the Sudanese government "must be held accountable by the international community."

Nov. 16, 2004
Bishops vote to create ad hoc committee to aid church in Africa
After a lengthy discussion about taking on fewer projects, the U.S. bishops did not hesitate to overwhelmingly approve a request to create an ad hoc committee to aid the church in Africa.

Nov. 15, 2004
African bishops say pastoral challenges linked to social problems
At a meeting to develop new forms of solidarity, African bishops explained to their European counterparts the pastoral challenges presented by poverty, AIDS, war, migration and Islamic expansion.

Nov. 15, 2004
For Botswana bishop, AIDS ministry is everyday assignment
Bishop Franklyn Nubuasah of Francistown, Botswana, knows what it is like to personally care for someone dying of AIDS.

Nov. 15, 2004
Drought, emigration, war ensure Ethiopia's spot among poorest nations
Twenty years after the 1984 single, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" raised more than $14 million for famine relief in Ethiopia, the country remains one of the poorest places on earth.

Nov. 15, 2004
Pope announces plans to convoke second African Synod of Bishops
Pope John Paul II has announced plans to convene a second African Synod of Bishops to expand on pastoral plans outlined at the first such assembly 10 years ago.

Oct. 21, 2004
Vatican's U.N. nuncio urges world community to do more to help Africa
A Vatican official told the U.N. General Assembly the international community must increase its efforts on behalf of Africa.

Oct. 11, 2004
Nobel Peace Prize winner gives some credit to Kansas Catholic college
The 2004 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize says a small Catholic college in Kansas was instrumental in making her "who I am and may ever become."

Oct. 11, 2004
Bishops say Zambia should not be called Christian in constitution
Zambia's declaration of itself as a Christian nation should be removed from the constitution, said the Zambia Episcopal Conference.

Sept. 29, 2004
In Canada, Zimbabwean archbishop denounces President Mugabe
He has received numerous death threats, had his phones tapped and his sermons monitored by government agents, but Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, refuses to back away from his criticisms of the country's president, Robert Mugabe.

Sept. 14, 2004
Violence in Darfur continues after U.S. genocide determination
Attacks by Arab militiamen against black Africans in the Darfur region of Sudan continued even after the United States accused the Sudanese government of committing genocide, human rights and aid officials said.

Sept. 10, 2004
Chadian Catholic aid agency manages camps amid trying conditions
When Sudanese refugees first began pouring into Chad in 2003, the only people available to help them were workers from the Chadian Catholic aid agency.

Sept. 9, 2004
Sudanese refugees describe nights of violence, terror in Darfur
It was 4 a.m. one day in early August when Bashir Ismael's wife left their home for the local market in western Sudan's Darfur region. It was the last time he saw his wife alive.

Sept. 9, 2004
Sudanese woman loses family, says, 'I am a dead person'
Given that her culture is one where women rarely speak to men who are not relatives, the woman's aggressiveness was startling.

Sept. 9, 2004
Italian Jesuit targets disabled Sudanese for his ministry
Among the hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees in northeastern Chad, an Italian priest has targeted those he considers the most vulnerable: the disabled.

Sept. 3, 2004
Gift from God: Sudanese refugee adopts baby abandoned in camp
The faint cries of a newborn baby in the stillness of an August night woke Khadidja Mahamat Ahmat, a Sudanese refugee residing in the Farchana refugee camp in northeastern Chad.