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South African Clergy, Laity Eulogize Late Bishop as "servant leader, second chance Bishop"
Clergy and the lay faithful in South Africa have paid glowing tributes to the late Bishop Patrick Zithulele Mvemve who was, until his resignation in April 2013, the Local Ordinary of South Africa’s Klerksdorp Diocese, remembering him as a “servant leader (and) Bishop of the second chance” who “loved sodalities.”
What Church Leaders in Southern Africa are Doing to Tackle Gender-Based Violence
The leadership of the Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) has, in an interview with ACI Africa, shared what Church leaders in the region are doing to fight gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) in South Africa, which has spiked in recent times.
“COVID-19 pandemic will come to pass,” South Africa-based Cleric at Priestly Anniversary
An Irish missionary Cleric serving in South Africa has, on the occasion of his 56th Priestly anniversary recently marked, shared a message of hope amid COVID-19 global pandemic, inviting the people of God on the continent to remain optimistic because the coronavirus “will come to pass.”
Day of the African Child: Young People Urged to Sacrifice “to shift narrative, destiny”
On the annual event of the International Day of the African Child (DAC), known as the National Youth Day in South Africa where the event was born, the Catholic Bishop heading the Justice and Peace Commission of the three-nation Bishops’ Conference has urged the youth to be ready to make sacrifices that can “pave the road to change, shifting our country’s narrative and destiny.”
Four Nuns Who Succumbed to COVID-19 in South Africa “were generous servants of the Lord”
The leadership of the Catholic Church in South Africa has described the four members of the Religious Congregation of the Precious Blood Sisters who succumbed to COVID-19 as “generous servants of the Lord” who died “in a very short period of time.”
Inspired by COVID-19 Response, Southern Africa Bishops Rethink “approach to GB violence”
Catholic Church leaders in Southern Africa are calling for a change of approach in tackling the increasing cases of gender-based violence (GBV), proposing an “aggressive and holistic approach” that brings together various stakeholders in the way COVID-19 is being fought against.
Plan to Reopen Places of Worship in South Africa Draws Mixed Reactions from Church Leaders
The announcement by South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa May 26 that places of worship may reopen beginning from June 1 has elicited mixed reactions from church leaders in the country, some welcoming the move and others terming it as questionable.
Church in South Africa Reaches Out to Poor Families Defying Lockdown to Beg
Hard pressed to evade starvation amid stringent COVID-19 restrictions, poor families in South Africa are risking contagion and moving from house to house to beg, a situation that has attracted the attention of Salesian missionaries working in the Southern African country.
Nuns in South Africa Donate Food, Protective Gear to Needy amid COVID-19 Lockdown
With reported increasing cases of job losses and food shortage in South Africa following the COVID-19 lockdown in the country, charity organizations have come out strongly to support the most adversely affected.
“You are missed,” Bishops Pen Letter to Laity in Botswana, Swaziland, South Africa
The members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) have, in a pastoral letter, expressed solidarity with their laity who they say are experiencing stress owing to the COVID-19-related restrictions in Botswana, South Africa and Swaziland.
In South Sudan, Nurses at Loreto Clinic Improvising Protective Gear in COVID-19 Fight
As the world marked the International Nurses Day on Tuesday, May 12, celebrating the fearlessness, hard work and selflessness of nurses who continue to put their lives on the line to save those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, our attention at ACI Africa was drawn to a clinic in South Sudan where health caregivers are fighting all odds in times of the pandemic to attend to the sick.
Reopening of Churches in Botswana “light at the end of the tunnel,” Bishop Says
Following the decision by the parliament of the landlocked Southern African nation of Botswana to begin a gradual lifting of the five-week COVID-19 lockdown, a Bishop in the two-diocese country has welcomed the move, terming it “light at the end of the turnel.”
Church Leaders in South Africa Urge Use of WhatsApp to Fight Gender-Based Violence
In South Africa where COVID-19 restrictions have plunged the country into various crimes including police brutalities and a rise in cases of gender-based violence (GBV), church leaders drawn from 30 Christian denominations have condemned the crimes and encouraged the use of WhatsApp to report cases of violence founded on gender.
South Africa’s Oudtshoorn Diocese Gets a New Bishop
Pope Francis has appointed Fr. Noel Andrew Rucastle as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
“I look forward to working with everybody”: Archbishop-elect of Bloemfontein, South Africa
The Archbishop-elect of South Africa’s Bloemfontein Archdiocese is looking forward to a collaborative ministry with the people of God who will be under his care, he has said in an interview.
Church Leaders Across Africa Share Messages of Hope amid “silent Easter” Celebrations
Bishops in Africa have, individually and collectively, offered messages of hope to the people of God on the continent in their respective Easter messages amid “silent Easter” celebrations due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Pope Francis Transfers, Elevates South African Bishop Overseeing Formation of Laity
On April 1, Pope Francis transferred the Bishop Zolile Peter Mpambani from South Africa’s Kokstad diocese to the Metropolitan See of Bloemfontein, elevating him as Archbishop.
South Africa Declares COVID-19 National Disaster, Church Limits Mass to 100
Following the declaration by South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa that COVID-19 is a national disaster in the country, the first declaration of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa with 61 cases confirmed, the Catholic Bishops there have directed clergy, religious and the lay faithful to observe preventive measures including a not-more-than 100-person congregation at Holy Mass.
“We need to get to the root cause of femicide,” South African Prelate Says
As South Africa struggles to curb alarming rates of gender-based killings targeting women and girls, a Bishop in the country has, in an interview with ACI Africa, highlighted the need to identify the root cause of violence targeting women for an appropriate way out of the societal challenge.
Kenya-based Catholic University Initiates a Response to Papal Call for Child Safeguarding
In an effort to respond to Pope Francis’ call that all local churches across the globe set working systems to address sexual crimes committed by clerics and religious, the Institute of Canon Law at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) has expanded admissions into its Canon Law training.
