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Mons. Jean-Marie Vianney Twagirayezu, appointed Bishop for the Catholic Diocese of Kibungo in Rwanda. Credit: Courtesy Photo

Caritas Rwanda Secretary General Appointed Bishop for Kibungo Catholic Diocese

Feb 21, 2023

By Silas Isenjia

Pope Francis has appointed Mons. Jean-Marie Vianney Twagirayezu who has been serving as Secretary General of Caritas Rwanda as Bishop for the Catholic Diocese of Kibungo in the country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge.

Lisa Missenda/Shutterstock.

Where Do Ash Wednesday Ashes Come From?

Feb 21, 2023

By Mary Farrow

“Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Sr. Elena Balatti. Credit: ACI Africa

Catholic Missionary Nun in South Sudan Calls Politicians to “positive actions for peace”

Feb 21, 2023

By Patrick Juma Wani

There is need for political leaders in South Sudan to undertake “positive actions for peace”, a Catholic Missionary Nun in the East-Central African nation has said. 

The Virgin of Guadalupe in Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City. | Photo credit: David Ramos / ACI Prensa

Rector Reports More Pilgrimages to Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine Than Before Pandemic

Feb 21, 2023

By Ana Paula Morales

Monsignor Salvador Martínez, rector of the Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City, noted that after two years of pandemic restrictions the Marian shrine “has resumed the impetus it had before and sometimes with greater strength.”

Shutterstock

Traditional Latin Mass Attendees Waiting to See Impact of New Vatican Restrictions

Feb 21, 2023

By Tyler Arnold

Some Catholics who attend the Traditional Latin Mass are awaiting the next steps from their bishops after the Vatican ordered the dioceses to get approval from the Holy See before they can authorize Latin Mass celebrations within parish churches. 

Chart showing asteroids named after Jesuits. | Br. Robert Macke S.J./Vatican Observatory

Newly-discovered Asteroids Named after Jesuits — and a Pope

Feb 21, 2023

By Jonah McKeown

The Vatican Observatory announced this week the naming of four newly-discovered asteroids after notable Catholics, including Pope Gregory XIII, who began the tradition of papal astronomers and observatories.

Fr. Stan Chu Ilo. Credit: Courtesy Photo

Muslim Leaders Challenged to Play Role in Ending Christian Persecution in Nigeria

Feb 21, 2023

By Agnes Aineah

Christian religious leaders continue to play their role in ensuring that the violence in Nigeria does not transition into a religious war, a Catholic Theologian has said, and challenged Muslim leaders to condemn extremism in the West African nation.

Archbishop Philip Anyolo of Nairobi Archdiocese (right) and John Cardinal Njue (Left) during the launch of PMC theme of 2023 on Saturday, February 18 at St. Mary's ground. Credit: ACI Africa.

“Under-representation of boys”: PMC Animators in Kenyan Archdiocese on Membership

Feb 20, 2023

By Silas Isenjia

Animators of the Pontifical Missionary Children (PMC) in the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi in Kenya have, in separate interviews with ACI Africa, highlighted a challenge in the membership, which they say has significantly more girls than boys.

Leah Sharibu. Credit: CSW

Half Decade “far too long”: Human Rights Group Calls for Release of Nigerian Teen, Leah

Feb 20, 2023

By Magdalene Kahiu

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the UK-based human rights foundation, is calling for the release of Leah Sharibu who has been in captivity since 2018 saying the half-a-decade period she has spent with her kidnappers is “far too long”.

New Catholic Bishop in Ivory Coast Called to “welcome everyone without any discrimination”

Feb 20, 2023

By Jude Atemanke

The newly Consecrated Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Yamoussoukro in Ivory Coast has been encouraged to build his Episcopal Ministry around the practice of unconditional love, welcoming all the people of God under his pastoral care “without any discrimination.”

Sr. Teresa Okure, a member of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus (SHCJ), speaks on the theme of the Golden Jubilee of SECAM in the light of the joyful celebrations of 50 years of existence, Uganda, 2019. Credit: Courtesy Photo

“God is at work”: Catholic Nun Says General Elections to Mark Nigeria’s New Birth

Feb 20, 2023

By Agnes Aineah

The course that the electioneering period in Nigeria has taken ahead of the country’s polls on Saturday, February 25 is an indication that “God is at work” in the West African nation, and that a new birth awaits the country, a Catholic Nun has said.

Pope Francis with the Pontifical Academy for Life on Feb. 20, 2023. / Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis Asks Pontifical Academy for Life to Study Ethics of Emerging Technologies

Feb 20, 2023

By Courtney Mares

The rapid acceleration of new technologies can produce significant consequences for human life and the environment Pope Francis said Feb. 20.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce (center-left) and Father Sean Gough (center-right) celebrate their legal win outside the Birmingham Magistrates Court in Birmingham, England, on Feb. 16, 2023. | Credit: March for Life UK

“I was very much surprised”: UK Catholic Priest on Being Questioned by Police, Charged

Feb 20, 2023

By ACI Africa Staff

Fr. Sean Gough, a member of the Clergy of the Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham in the UK, and Isabel Vaughan-Spruce who co-directs the March for Life UK, were charged with violating a local Public Spaces Protection Order that censors speech in the area around a Birmingham abortion clinic. On February 9, Fr. Gough admitted standing near a closed abortion clinic on Station Road in Birmingham with a sign that said, “praying for free speech.” Police officers approached him and at first told him they did not believe he was breaking Birmingham’s Public Spaces Protection Order. 

Credit: Salesian Missions

Salesians Highlight African Programs for “children at risk” in Armed Forces’ Recruitments

Feb 20, 2023

By Silas Isenjia

The leadership of the U.S.-based development arm of the Religious Institute of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), Salesian Missions, has highlighted initiatives benefiting “children at risk for recruitment by armed forces” across the globe, including Africa.

Alarm as Kenyan Urban Youths Ditch Christianity for Mixed Spiritual Practices

Feb 19, 2023

By Agnes Aineah

Young people in Nairobi, Kenya are abandoning Christianity and adopting alternative practices to meet their religious needs, a study by Catholic researchers has revealed. 

Credit: Nigeria Catholic Network

“Immediately increase circulation of new Naira”: Catholic Bishops in Nigeria to Government

Feb 19, 2023

By Silas Isenjia

The Federal government of Nigeria needs to “immediately” address the challenge the people of God are facing in the West African nation amid the ongoing process of redesigning the country’s currency, the Naira, by increasing the circulation of the new notes, Catholic Bishops have said.

Credit: Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network (AEFJN)

Maasai “one of the endangered tribes in Africa”: Religious Missionaries in Africa, Europe

Feb 19, 2023

By Magdalene Kahiu

Religious Missionaries with presence in Africa and Europe have said the forceful eviction of the Maasai community from their ancestral land in Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Loliondo in Northern Tanzania has made the pastoralist tribe one of the most endangered in Africa. 

Credit: CSW

Egypt Reports Release of Christians Detained in Libya after Human Rights Group Uproar

Feb 19, 2023

By Magdalene Kahiu

The foreign ministry of Egypt has reported the release of six Christian Egyptians who had been abducted and “illegally detained” in Libya on February 6.

UPDATE: Murder Investigation Underway in Shooting, Death of Auxiliary Bishop in USA

Feb 19, 2023

By Shannon Mullen

Bishop David G. O’Connell, known affectionately as “Bishop Dave,” was shot in the torso on Feb. 18. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Pope Francis greets the crowd at his Angelus address on Feb. 19, 2023. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis: God Asks us to Love Beyond "the logic of self-interest"

Feb 19, 2023

By Courtney Mares

Instead of acting out of self-interest or convenience, the Lord challenges us to love others in excess “without calculation,” Pope Francis said on Sunday.