Catholic Church - The African Mirror

Feb

2023

Pope Francis in DRC and South Sudan: one of his most challenging visits ever

ON 31 January, Pope Francis departed from Rome to central Africa, to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its neighbouring state South Sudan. The visit was previously scheduled for 2022 but did not take place because of the pope’s health issues. Pope Francis’ visit to Africa comes at a defining moment for his papacy and for the Catholic church worldwide. He has led a period since December 2019 of global reflection known as “the synodal path” in which Catholics have been able to speak up about the agenda that the church should pursue. A similar exercise, the Second…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

What is beatification? How the Catholic church determines the path to sainthood

RELIGION

ON 5 November 2022, the Catholic Church will formally recognise Sister Maria Carola Cechin (1877-1925) as “Blessed”. The Italian-born nun spent two decades serving in Kenya. After this, in places closely associated with Sister Carola or within her religious order, Catholic church services can be held in her honour. An annual celebration in the church calendar of seasons can also be dedicated to her. Additionally, churches and other institutions in those areas can be named after her. The process culminating in calling Sister Carola “Blessed” is known as beatification. This marks the second-last step before canonisation, which is the official…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

Indonesian church bombed by suspected Islamist militants

WORLD

AGUSTINUS BEO DA COSTA ND STANLEY WIDIANTO TWO suicide bombers believed to be members of an Islamist militant group attacked a Catholic church in the Indonesian city of Makassar on Sunday on the first day of the Easter Holy Week, wounding 19 people, police said. The mass was finishing when the attackers detonated at least one device outside the church. The two suspects were the only fatalities. Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the bombers were both believed to belong to the Islamic State-inspired Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), which is suspected of suicide attacks on churches and a police post…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

Dismay greets Vatican’s decree on same-sex unions

RELIGION

PHILLIP PULLELLA THE Vatican has decreed that priests cannot bless same-sex unions and that such blessings are not valid, in a ruling that greatly disappointed gay Catholics who had hoped their Church was becoming more welcoming under Pope Francis. In some countries, such as the United States and Germany, parishes and ministers have begun blessing same-sex unions in lieu of marriage, and there have been calls for bishops to de facto institutionalise these. But conservatives in the 1.3 billion-member Church have expressed alarm over these practices, particularly those in Germany where at least two bishops, including Cardinal Reinhard Marx of…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

Eight abortion rights hotspots in 2021 after Argentina grants approval

WORLD

ARGENTINA became the first major country in Latin America to legalize abortion on Wednesday, allowing the procedure through the 14th week of pregnancy and bucking the traditionally strong influence of the Catholic Church in the region. The coronavirus pandemic has impacted abortions around the world, with lockdowns complicating access in some places, while other countries made it easier to get at-home medical abortions. But despite stay-at-home orders, the world's legislatures, courts and politicians have continued to make key decisions to expand or roll back rights. In October, 33 countries including the United States, Egypt and Brazil, signed a declaration that…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

Mexico’s senior Catholic leader backs civil unions for gay couples

RELIGION

DAVID ALIRE GARCIA THE Mexican Catholic Church's highest-ranking bishop agrees with recent comments by Pope Francis in support of legal protections offered by civil unions for gay couples, the prelate told Reuters, stressing that no family member should ever be rejected. Mexico is the second-biggest Catholic country after Brazil with around 80% of its nearly 130 million people affiliated with the church. It has historically been conservative-leaning on social issues. Cardinal Carlos Aguiar, archbishop of Mexico City, said in an interview that he backs the pope's comments from a documentary that premiered in October and used previously unseen footage from…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Catholic NGO boss accused of racism and abuse in Sudan

NEWS

MOHAMMED AMIN, BEN PARKER and PAISLEY DODDS IN the wake of George Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter protests that followed, Catholic Relief Services told its staff it was launching an initiative to stamp out racism within the NGO, one of the world’s largest charities. Soon after, its American boss in Sudan sent staff a reminder for the launch. The same day – 28 July – he was arrested on a charge of verbal abuse for calling a security guard a “slave”. The allegations of racism weren’t the first against Driss Moumane – at least three whistleblower complaints had…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Pope’s ‘yes’ to same-sex civil unions will lead to a more open and equal Catholic Church

RELIGION

FRANCIS DEBERNARDO GENE and Bill had been partners for more than 50 years when I first heard their story. The two men met and fell in love when they were both 22. Because of the socially oppressive climate, it was not safe to live together as a couple, so they moved in as “roommates.” After one brief year, Bill developed a debilitating disease that required full-time nursing care and he moved to a skilled facility. He remained there his entire life. Gene visited him every day but was unable to let staff or residents know the true nature of their…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Pope Francis endorses same-sex unions

RELIGION

PHILLIP PULLELLA POPE Francis says that homosexuals should be protected by civil union laws, in some of the clearest language he has used on the rights of gay people. "Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it," he says in the documentary "Francesco" by Oscar-nominated director Evgeny Afineevsky. "What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that," he said. The pope appeared to…