Middle East - Africa News
Remembering the night the ‘city of Christians’ fell to ISIS in Iraq
Aug. 6 marks the ninth anniversary of the fall of Qaraqosh, a city that was almost entirely Catholic and where... Read more
Israeli extremists attempt to storm Catholic church and monastery
In an effort by the church to deter any future attacks, work began today to install an iron fence around... Read more
The Lebanese saint who unites Christians and Muslims
St. Charbel Makhlouf is known in Lebanon for the miraculous healings of those who visit his tomb to seek his... Read more
Iraq’s president revokes recognition of Catholic leader
Cardinal Louis Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, announced Saturday that he is withdrawing from his seat in Baghdad. Read more
Latin patriarch of Jerusalem condemns Israeli military action
Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa condemned the military operation and bemoaned the damage to the Roman Catholic parish in Jenin. Read more
Suspended priest takes charge of Nigeria’s strife-torn Benue State
Hyacinth Iormen Alia ignored the admonitions of his bishop by successfully running for governor of Benue State. Read more
‘Spiritually transformative’: Nun recalls Mali captivity in new religious freedom report
The Colombian nun narrated her experience in the foreword of the 2023 edition of the Religious Freedom in the World... Read more
Violence, emergence of new militia among Democratic Republic of Congo bishops’ concerns
“We are witnessing the persistence and worsening of insecurity, especially in the eastern part of our country,” the bishops stated... Read more
Ugandan diocese observes five-day prayer for victims of secondary school attack
On June 16, suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces reportedly attacked the school, killing some 41 people, including 38... Read more
‘There is sometimes a terrifying silence’ regarding abortions in Africa, priest says
Father Apollinaire Cibaka Cikongo of the Democratic Republic of Congo expressed concern about the “general silence” on abortion in Africa. Read more
Nigerian priest freed after torture, hospitalized with ‘deep wounds on his head’
Father Marcellus Nwaohuocha, OMI, who was kidnapped on June 17 from Nigeria’s Jos Archdiocese, has been freed. Read more
Missionary priest abducted in Nigeria’s Jos Archdiocese; security guard killed
Father Marcellus Nwaohuocha, a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, was kidnapped June 17. Read more
Nigerian priest abducted on Corpus Christi Sunday regains freedom
Father Jeremiah Yakubu, who was kidnapped from his parish rectory in Karku, Nigeria, Sunday evening, has been released. Read more
Nigeria’s Diocese of Kafanchan appeals for ‘intense prayers’ for abducted priest
The diocese said Father Jeremiah Yakubu from Holy Trinity Parish in Karku was taken from the rectory at about 11... Read more
Nigerian priest returning from pastoral duties shot dead; archdiocese in ‘great shock’
In a statement shared June 8 with ACI Africa, CNA’s African news partner, Archbishop Augustine Obiora Akubeze expressed shock at... Read more
Police arrest suspected mastermind of massacre at Rwandan Catholic parish in 1994 genocide
Reuters reported that Fulgence Kayishema, one of the top suspects in the genocide, was arrested May 24 on a grape... Read more
Catholic priest in Nigeria freed on Pentecost Sunday after three days in captivity
Father Matthias Opara, a Nigerian Catholic priest who was abducted on May 26 while returning from a funeral, has been... Read more
CNA freelancer recounts ‘horrifying experience’ of witnessing Nigeria firefight
The exchange of gunfire, which lasted about an hour, took place on May 16 in Mangu City in Central Nigeria’s... Read more
Catholic organization rescues three nuns trapped amid crossfire in Sudan
The Vulnerable People Project evacuated in cooperation with other institutions three nuns caught in the crossfire of the civil war... Read more
Anglicans in Africa reject archbishop of Canterbury for supporting same-sex union blessings
The meeting of global Anglicans voiced no confidence in Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and called on him and the... Read more
