Middle East - Africa News

The statue of Our Lady of Lebanon at Harissa, Lebanon.

Christians play vital role in Middle East – the view from Lebanon

Oct 24, 2017

The Church in Lebanon is working to aid the 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, the great majority of whom... Read more

Kidnapped priest in Nigeria released, doing well

Oct 18, 2017

By Hannah Brockhaus

Fr. Maurizio Pallù, an Italian missionary who was kidnapped in southern Nigeria last week, was freed Tuesday.  Read more

Protesters march to parliament in protest President Jacob Zuma.

South Africa needs a better anti-corruption system, bishops say

Oct 16, 2017

South Africa’s Conference of Catholic Bishops has pushed for the development of an anti-corruption court, citing the damage to the... Read more

A man walks past the wreckage of a building at the site of a VBIED attack in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, Oct. 15, 2017. AMISOM Photo / Tobin Jones.

Despair would worsen the situation, bishop says in wake of Somalia attack

Oct 16, 2017

After Somalia suffered its deadliest terrorist attack on Saturday, the Bishop of Djibouti reflected on the need for hope and... Read more

Italian Catholic priest kidnapped in Nigeria

Oct 16, 2017

An Italian Catholic priest, who is a member of the Neocatechumenal Way, was kidnapped on Thursday by armed men in... Read more

Fr. Roni Momika leads a group of women in a pilgrimage to Mar Behnam Monastery, October 2017. Photo courtesy of Fr. Momika.

Iraqi women visit historic monastery after its recapture from Islamic State

Oct 9, 2017

By Elise Harris

Last week 300 women visited a historic monastery near Mosul after its liberation from the Islamic State – a decision... Read more

Want Ghana to be transformed? Proclaim your faith, says local bishop

Oct 5, 2017

Catholics in Ghana should openly profess their faith in God if they want to improve their country, said Bishop Emmanuel... Read more

Iraqi Church leaders pray for peace after Kurdish referendum

Oct 1, 2017

Church leaders have expressed anxiety over a Kurdish vote for independence in a recent referendum, saying Kurdistan’s decision to split... Read more

Syrian refugee.

UN resolution to investigate ISIS crimes praised as step toward recognizing genocide

Sep 24, 2017

As the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution on Thursday to help investigate ISIS crimes in Iraq, one human rights... Read more

Togo's bishops call for peace while reform goes to public vote

Sep 19, 2017

Following Togo's largest protests in over a decade, the bishops of the small African country urged political leaders toward a... Read more

South Sudanese refugees queue to receive water at a refugee camp near Kosti, Sudan, June 2017.

Christian refugees reportedly forced to say Muslim prayers for food in Sudan

Sep 18, 2017

By Matt Hadro

Christian children in Sudanese refugee camps are reportedly being given food only after they recite Muslim prayers, a papal aid... Read more

Catholic priest in Nigeria kidnapped, murdered

Sep 5, 2017

A Catholic priest was kidnapped and found murdered in Nigeria, local sources have confirmed.  Read more

Bishop Jean Marie Benoît Bala of Bafia, who died May 31, 2017.

Grave of Cameroonian bishop who died under suspicious circumstances desecrated

Sep 2, 2017

The grave of Bishop Jean Marie Benoît Bala of Bafia, whom the Cameroonian bishops’ conference claims was murdered, was found... Read more

CAR children.

In deadly CAR conflict, Catholic seminary shelters 2,000 Muslims

Sep 1, 2017

Thousands of Muslim refugees have fled deadly militias in the Central African Republic thanks to Bangassou’s Bishop Juan José Aguirre... Read more

After three years of ISIS occupation, the Mass returns to Mosul

Aug 30, 2017

Following the liberation of Mosul, Iraq, from the hands of the Islamic State, Christians are cautiously returning to the city.... Read more

Protection of Civilians site in Wau, South Sudan.

Thousands of South Sudanese find refuge in cathedral

Aug 20, 2017

As the civil war in South Sudan heightens, millions are fleeing their homes for safer ground, which many have found... Read more

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta addresses government authorities in Nairobi, Nov. 25, 2015.

Kenyan bishops decry post-election violence

Aug 19, 2017

With violent protests and several deaths in the wake of Kenya's Aug. 8 presidential election, the nation's bishops have lamented... Read more

South Sudanese refugees arrive at refugee camps in Uganda.

No end in sight as Uganda receives one million South Sudanese refugees

Aug 17, 2017

The tally of South Sudanese refugees entering Uganda for shelter and safety marked 1 million this week, in what is... Read more

A shanty town in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in November 2013.

Shock and grief after mudslide in Sierra Leone kills hundreds

Aug 16, 2017

A massive mudslide in Sierra Leone’s capital city has left hundreds dead and thousands homeless, with relief agencies hurrying to... Read more

Wedding bands.

Amid rising divorce rates, Malawi bishops hold marriage conference

Aug 12, 2017

Divorce rates in Malawi have increased in the past few years, leading the local Catholic Church to emphasize the importance... Read more