Third priest killed this year   News has emerged of the murder of yet another priest in this war-torn country – Father Firmin Gbagoua, the Vicar General of the diocese of Bambari in the Central African Republic. Father Gbagoua was killed at night on 29 June. The Vicar General of Bambari received “a bullet at close range...

PAKISTAN Inter-religious dialogue can break the walls of hatred and intolerance Speaking about his recent appointment to Cardinal, Joseph Coutts, Archbishop of Karachi, said “Among the first who came to congratulate me for my appointment to Cardinal was a group of 15-20 religious leaders from different communities. It is very important: we are learning coexistence...

NIGERIA “The West must not wait for a genocide to happen as it did in Rwanda!”   Attacks by Fulani Herdsmen – The Bishops of Nigeria’s Middle Belt appeal to ACN “Please don’t make the same mistake as was made with the genocide in Rwanda. It happened beneath our noses, but no one stopped it....

CONGO BRAZZAVILLE  The Church is drawing new hope and strength to overcome its problems The Church in Congo-Brazzaville is drawing new hope and strength to overcome its problems Having lived for a long time under a communist regime, the Republic of Congo for many years left its Christian faith on one side. But today the...

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Bishops and Imams denounce the exploitation of religion to sow hatred   Central African Catholic, Evangelical and Muslim leaders have issued separate memorandums condemning the violence and “have joined as one man to recognize the secular nature of our Country and the freedom of worship guaranteed by the Constitution.” Documents issued by...

ACN Malta congratulates Mgr Joseph Galea-Curmi, the new Auxiliary Bishop   ACN Malta would like to congratulate Mgr Joseph Galea-Curmi, the current Vicar-General of the Archdiocese of Malta, on his new appointment as Auxiliary Bishop. He is a well- known and respected figure within the Church in Malta. As the Archbishop’s closest collaborator, Mgr Galea-Curmi...

BAHRAIN Dignitaries gather for ground-breaking ceremony of new cathedral   The site for the new cathedral in Bahrain is moving along in its journey to be the seat of the Church in Northern Arabia. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia at Awali, Bahrain, took a step toward completion on 10 June, with a ceremony...

NICARAGUA Church mediated ceasefire breaks down as talks are suspended again   On Tuesday, 19 June Mgr. Silvio Báez, Auxiliary Bishop of Managua, announced that the National Dialogue table would not begin as planned. Talks will again be suspended until Ortega’s government presents to all the members of the Dialogue, the proof of having officially invited international...

MOZAMBIQUE Bishop Lisboa calls for calm after the latest terrorist attacks   There is grave concern in the Church in Mozambique, following the recent violent attacks perpetrated by members of a new jihadist group who, since the month of October last year and through to June this year, have killed dozens of people and are...

GENEVA Pope Francis makes an ecumenical visit for the World Council of Churches’ 70th anniversary   Pope Francis made a landmark ecumenical day trip to Geneva on 21 June as part of celebrations to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches(WCC) – the global body representing over 560 million Christians. The theme...