Africa visit - The African Mirror

Jul

2023

Eyeing wider trade ties, Iran’s Raisi starts Africa visit

IRANIAN President Ebrahim Raisi received red-carpet welcomes from his counterparts in Kenya and Uganda in launching a three-country tour of Africa that Tehran has touted as a "new beginning" in relations with the continent. Raisi's trip to Africa, which will also take him to Zimbabwe, is the first by an Iranian president in more than a decade and represents a bid to diversify Iran's trade relations in the face of crippling U.S. sanctions. Iran stepped up diplomatic outreach to developing world countries after then-U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from Tehran's nuclear accord with world powers in 2018…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

In DR Congo, Pope Francis will see a dynamic local Catholic Church

RELIGION

ROSE NGOY, BIRD STORY AGENCY AS Pope Francis began his first official visit to Africa this week, the 86-year-old head of the Catholic Church found himself in a country where a huge Catholic following plays a substantial role in the country's public services, including health and education. According to Vatican statistics, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has more than 52 million Catholic believers, out of a total population of 90 million. It is a flock that plays a significant role in Congolese society, not only spiritually but also in the provision of key services in a country that sprawls…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Pope Francis’ visit to Africa comes at a defining moment for the Catholic Church

RELIGION

DURING his planned visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan in February 2023, Pope Francis intends to be in dialogue with African Catholics – but also to listen to political leaders and young Africans. This visit comes at a defining moment in what is regarded as a fairly progressive papacy. Author STAN CHU ILO, Research Professor, World Christianity and African Studies, DePaul University Pope Francis has convened a worldwide consultation on the future of the Catholic church. This consultation, called a synodal process, began in 2021 and will conclude in 2024. It is the most ambitious…