Empowering the Girl Child in South Sudan: Q & A with Sr. Marilyn Lacey of Mercy Beyond Borders

Global Sisters Report || By Georgia Perry || 29 October 2015

Since 1980, Mercy Sr. Marilyn Lacey has worked with displaced populations in the United States and in refugee camps overseas. For 21 years, she served as the director of a number of refugee and immigration programs at Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County in northern California. In that capacity, Lacey and her team welcomed and resettled newly arrived refugees from all over the world, providing housing, English-language education, job placement, family counseling and more.

She also spearheaded special programs for elderly and young refugees, including the only refugee foster care program in California, which places unaccompanied minors into U.S. homes. Lacey also managed an immigration law program that assisted migrants with issues such as citizenship and family reunifications.

Through her work, she had the opportunity to visit South Sudan in 1992, and the experience vastly altered the course of her life and work. In 2008, Lacey founded an organization called Mercy Beyond Borders to aid women and girls living in extreme poverty in South Sudan (and, eventually, Haiti). She spoke to Global Sisters Report about the culture of the war-torn region and the work Mercy Beyond Borders is doing.

GSR: You have described South Sudan as 'the most devastated place' you've ever seen. Can you elaborate?

Lacey: When I went in 1992 when the war was raging, it was the time that the Lost Boys were straggling out of South Sudan. It was a horrid, horrid time. Upon arriving at a refugee camp, I saw such emaciated people, like 20,000 of them. I couldn't even believe they could stand up. The vastness of the suffering just shook me to my core. I had worked in refugee camps; I thought I was accustomed. I had never seen anything to this scale or horror. It really reminded me of Ezekiel, where he sees this vast field of skeletons. I thought, 'Someday I will try to devote myself to working with the survivors, particularly the women and girls.'

What about the culture of South Sudan makes it especially challenging for women and girls in particular?

Basically, women in that part of the world are considered to be less than human. They are told from the time they're born, 'You are worth less than a cow. You will serve your brothers and your parents until you reach puberty, and then you will serve your husband.' They don't send [girls] to school; they don't accord them any personal dignity.

It's very entrenched in their culture because for a boy to get married, he has to give a dowry of cattle to the wife's family. So the only way a family that has several sons can keep getting cows is by marrying off their daughters very young. It's a circular thing that is very hard to break through.

Is the culture changing at all?

If there is any silver lining to being in a refugee camp, it's that in the camps, women and girls saw females who were living with purpose — as teachers, doctors, pilots, United Nations administrators, social workers and nurses. Now the women want education for their daughters — what they didn't get themselves. They see that things have to change, but the men are still very much resisting that.

What kind of work has Mercy Beyond Borders done to help the women and girls in South Sudan?

We are affiliated with a primary school for girls, started by the bishop in 1994. Regarding his reasons for starting it, he told me: 'For 50 years, I have been educating boys. What did I get? War. Now, I'm going to educate the girls.' Currently, we pay the whole budget of the school, and it is really our flagship project. It is a boarding school and it is very challenging to convince Catholic families to send their girls to school, but currently, we have 702 girls there, from as far away as Darfur.

And right now, Mercy Beyond Borders has 131 girls on high school and university scholarships — the first cohort of educated girls. It's a huge change for the country. We already have 20 graduates, and there is no brain drain. They're all in South Sudan nursing, teaching, doing IT work. They were snatched up immediately for jobs. It's very heartening, though it is a long-range project, of course.

With women, we go directly to villages. We refuse to work in the capital city — that's where all the NGOs are, sitting in their air-conditioned buildings. We deal directly with women, and we teach them microenterprise and literacy. We are really making a tremendous change in their lives because it's more than learning literacy. It's learning, 'You're a human being. You're accepted. You have talents.' That's the kind of transformation we are seeing.

[Georgia Perry is a freelance writer based in Oakland, California. She's contributed to several print and online magazines including, The Atlantic, CityLab, Portland Monthly Magazine and the Portland Mercury. She was formerly a staff writer at the Santa Cruz Weekly in California. Follow her on Twitter @georguhperry.]

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Africa Abuzz Ahead of Pope’s Visit, Ugandan Archbishop Says

Catholic News Agency || By Elise Harris || 29 October 2015

As his country gets ready to receive their spiritual ‘grandfather,’ Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu, Uganda said Pope Francis’ coming visit to Africa is a moment of both excitement and busy preparation.

“It is very wonderful, we are very excited in the country about the coming of the Pope,” Archbishop John Baptist Odama told CNA in an interview.

Head of Uganda’s Gulu diocese and president of the Ugandan Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Odama spoke with CNA about the Pope’s upcoming trip during the recent Synod of Bishops on the Family in Rome.

“For us we see him as a grandfather coming to the home of the child…coming to see how this child is (living) the family life in his home.”

Pope Francis’ presence will strengthen the Ugandan people, the archbishop said, “giving us a sense of identity and a sense that we belong, and he is our father and we are also his children and he is guiding us to our ultimate father, God.”

The Vatican officially confirmed the Pope’s Nov. 25-30 trip to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic Sept. 10.

Francis himself had first announced his intention to travel to Africa – specifically the Central African Republic and Uganda – during a news conference while returning from a trip to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in January.

He confirmed the plans in a June 12 meeting with hundreds of priests from around the world participating in the Third World Priests Retreat in the Basilica of St. John Lateran when he answered a question from an African priest about when he planned to visit.

The Pope’s schedule for the trip – packed with interreligious encounters and attention to the poor – was released earlier this month. He will set foot in Kenya first, where he will stay from Nov. 25-27, before moving on to Uganda Nov. 27-29. His last stop will be the Central African Republic, from Nov. 29-30.

His visit falls just ahead of the Central African Republic’s presidential transition, and just after the 50th anniversary of the canonization of the Uganda Martyrs.

Saint Charles Lwanga and his 21 companions were killed by the king in the 1880s alongside 23 Anglican converts to Christianity for refusing to recant their faith, and were canonized Oct. 18, 1964, by Bl. Pope Paul VI in St. Peter's Basilica.

Preparations have already begun for the celebration of the Golden Anniversary of the canonization, with the local Church holding a diocese-wide conference on the 22 saints.

The Shrine of both the Anglican and Catholic martyrs at Namugongo will be Francis’ first stop in Uganda.

After arriving at the Ugandan airport of Entebbe the evening of Nov. 27, the Pope will head to the shrine the next morning, where he will celebrate Mass.

Later he is scheduled to meet with youth and visit a charity center before heading back to the archbishop’s residence, where he will meet with the country’s bishops before holding an audience with priests, religious and seminarians. He will depart for the Central African Republic the next morning.

In his comments to CNA, Archbishop Odama noted how the country is buzzing with preparations, both on the level of the government, as well as the local Church.

While the government of Uganda is taking care of practical things that don’t necessarily have to do with Catholics, those who practice the Catholic faith are busy organizing the Pope’s Mass at the Namugongo shrine, “where so many people will come with all the interest and enthusiasm.”

Archbishop Odama said that Pope Francis will likely encourage Ugandans to be like the martyrs, and “to follow the example of his brothers and sisters who died for us.”

Francis, he said, “is coming to encourage us in that one. So we look with great hope and are preparing ourselves. I think God will bless his visit and it will be a joy for us all.”

Before heading to Uganda, Pope Francis will visit Kenya, where he will meet with their president, Uhuru Kenyatta, and the local authorities after his arrival in Nairobi.

Over the next two days the Pope is scheduled to hold an interreligious meeting, celebrate Mass at the University of Nairobi, pay a visit to the United Nations Office in Nairobi and hold an audience with the country’s priests, religious and seminarians.

He will also travel to Nairobi’s poor Kangemi neighborhood and meet with Kenya’s bishops before departing for Uganda.

After Uganda, Pope Francis will make his final stop in the war-torn Central African Republic. Once he lands in Bangui the morning of Nov. 29, he will visit with the country’s civic leaders and interim president, Catherine Samba-Panza.

The Pope will then visit a refugee camp before holding separate audiences with the country’s bishops and Evangelical community. Later that day he will celebrate Mass with priests, religious, catechists and youth at the Cathedral of Bangui.

After celebrating Mass, Pope Francis will hear the confessions of some young people before leading a prayer vigil in front of the cathedral.

Before heading back to Rome Nov. 30, Francis will meet with the country’s Muslim community in the central Mosque of Koudoukou and celebrate Mass at the Barthélémy Boganda Sports Complex. He is expected to arrive back to Rome at close to 7p.m. local time.

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Pope Francis Wants Mercy and Justice Administered, Kenyan Priest Says Recalling Albania Experience

CANAA || By Nicholas Mungai Waigwa, Nairobi || 29 October 2015

The fourth visit of his Holiness Pope Francis’ papacy took him to Europe’s Albania in September 2014. Thousands of pilgrims welcomed the pontiff to the Muslim dominated country, which has an admirable interreligious cohesion.

Father Benson Salonik from Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Ngong was in Albania to join those invited to meet with Pope Francis on 22^nd September 2014, at the Bethany Center – a home for the orphaned children managed by the Bethany Association on the outskirts of Albania’s capital, Tirana.

Bethany Association has a similar center in Ngong Diocese. Father Salonik was instrumental in setting up the centre, which has a dispensary, orphanage and an outreach program.

In an interview with Radio Vatican’s Allan Christopher, who was also in Albania for the apostolic visit with the Pope, Father Salonik said he could not wait to welcome the Pontiff to Kenya, as he expressed confidence that Pope Francis would eventually find his way to Kenya.

The Kenyan priest was quoted by a Vatican news service as saying, “Pope Saint John Paul II came to Kenya a record three times during his pontificate. We will eagerly wait to welcome Pope Francis to Kenya as well.”

In an exclusive interview with Father Salonik about the 1^st visit by Pope Francis to Africa on 25^th November 2015, he expressed joy that his request that the Pope considers a visit to Kenya was granted.

“I feel overjoyed that he took the stride in honour and has honoured it. I look forward to seeing him again. Last year [Sept 2014] I met him in Albania and welcomed him here.” Father Salonik said.

Father Salonik is certain that Pope’s 1^st visit to Africa, which kicks off in Kenya on 25^th November 2015 will be a great milestone, building on the footsteps of St. Pope John Paul II’s visits to Kenya, and Africa at large, adding that the apostolic visit will be very significant in confirming the people of God in faith, and “encouraging us [priests and religious] in our evangelical work.”

He describes the Pope as a scientist who is focused in helping the 21^st century mankind to be at peace with God, one another and creation at large, as is contained in his encyclical (Laudato si).

He further notes, “Just as his patron saint, Pope Francis is a free spirit linking God’s people in a Christ centred approach to each other across the religious divide.”  

The pope’s visit, according to Father Salonik, is going to be unworldly, complete with his characteristic humility, drawing people close to God and to each other, and most likely very different from other world leaders’ who are usually coloured with trappings of power.

“It is a unique privilege to have Francis visit including St. Joseph the worker parish at Kangemi to mingle with the poor. He loves it. He loves all people. He is a man for all who want mercy and justice administered by especially agents of evangelization” Father Salonik said.

In acknowledging the importance of a preposterous inquiry into the Pope’s important visit to Africa, Father Salonik anticipates that the pontiff will speak on a broad spectrum of issues: socioeconomic, religious and even political.

These subjects are likely going to be a great boost for the concern for “common good” embedded in the Compendium for the Social Doctrine of the Church, Father Salonik, who is the Rector of the Narok based Olechekut Supat Minor Seminary of the catholic diocese of Ngong, said.

Pope Francis and his entourage are expected to arrive at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya’s capital Nairobi on 25^th November 2015 at 17h00 local time, and then proceed for a courtesy visit to the President of the Republic at Statehouse in Nairobi at 1800hrs.

The Pope will conclude his schedule for the day with an encounter with civil authorities of Kenya and representatives of the diplomatic corps.

Kenya Launches Accreditation of Journalists for Papal Visit

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 29 October 2015

As the construction of the dais for the Papal visit goes on in Kenya's capital Nairobi (in photo on left), the country has launched the process of accrediting journalists interested in covering the event of the pastoral visit of Pope Francis to the country, indicating that “Special passes may be required for certain restricted areas.”

In a message shared with CANAA from Waumini Communications of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), the process of accrediting both local and international journalists started on Wednesday, October 28, and is set to conclude on November 11.

Journalists seeking accreditation are required to “be registered with the Media Council of Kenya (MCK)” and to provide their details by filling a form, which Waumini Communications provided (sample on the right).

“Further instructions and advice will be issued before November 18^th. By that same date, all accredited journalists will also have been asked to pick up their badges,” the message emailed as an attachment read.

The Pope is scheduled to arrive in Kenya on November 25 at 17h00 local time (14h GMT).

The second part of the accreditation message is about an “International media centre,” which will be set up by mid-November, to be accessed by accredited journalists and from where “A clean signal (TV and Radio) will be delivered.”

Below is the full text of the message on accreditation provided to CANAA by Waumini Communications of KCCB.

Media Registration and Accreditation for the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Kenya

The Holy Father, Pope Francis I, is soon to visit Kenya. The guidelines below govern media accreditation for that visit.

1. All journalists, both local and international, willing to cover any public function of the Holy Father will need to be accredited. Special passes may be required for certain restricted areas.

2. All journalists wishing to be accredited for any of the Pope’s functions must be registered with the Media Council of Kenya (MCK). Details can be found at the following link: http://www.mediacouncil.or.ke/en/mck/index.php/programs/m ck-accreditation.

3. All journalists covering the Holy Father’s visit for a given media house must have their application for accreditation and registration submitted by that media house. This holds even for journalists who work freelance at other times, or who are usually employed by another media house. Each media house must submit a full list of the journalists to be accredited to cover a given function.

4. Freelance journalists will also be accredited, on their own application.

5. International media houses will be required to apply for accreditation and registration for their representatives in Kenya during the Pope’s visit. To apply, please fill the attached form for each member of your staff. Attach a passport photo for each journalist. Scanned images are acceptable, but please make sure that each passport photo can be readily identified.

6. Accreditation opens on October 28 2015 and closes on November 11 2015. Further instructions and advice will be issued before November 18th. By that same date, all accredited journalists will also have been asked to pick up their badges.

The next matter is a preliminary advisory regarding access and use of the international media centre, as well as access and use.

1. There shall be established an International Media centre at a specific location in Nairobi. Details of the location will be released by November 15 to all the accredited journalist and media houses.

2. Only accredited journalists and media houses will be allowed to access the centre.

3. A clean signal (TV and Radio) will be delivered to it.

Bishop Benjamin Phiri: Synod Gave us Broader Appreciation of Family

Vatican Radio || By Fr. Paul Samasumo || 26 October 2015

Bishop Benjamin Phiri of Zambia, the Auxiliary Bishop of Chipata Diocese and Bishop-Director for Seminaries at the Zambia Episcopal Conference has expressed satisfaction with the just ended Synod on the Family.

“Different geographical areas of the world may face different challenges (on the family) but when it comes to pastoral care, at the end of the day what is important is the ‘salus animarum’ –the care and salvation of souls,” Bishop Phiri told the Africa Service of Vatican Radio. He said, during the synod, various aspects of family life from all over the world were gathered and discussed in smaller groups giving the Synod Fathers a much broader appreciation of the beauty and challenges of families across the world.

“The mixture of these (language discussion groups during the synod) is a rich mixture because you share experiences and that helps us see things not just from a narrow angle.

Bishop Phiri was keen to debunk some misconceptions that Bishops from Africa, at the Synod were there to derail any reform.

“You will be surprised that what we hold dear as Africans is also held in esteem by many in various parts of the world. We want those (same) values maintained,” Bishop Phiri said.

Archbishop Mathew Man-Oso Ndagoso of Kaduna Archdioceses in Nigeria also speaking to the Africa Service of Vatican Radio said the interest that this synod generated was unprecedented.  

“For me the kind of things that were said by many people, by the media about the synod…that kind of interest generated was just telling us that we had a serious task at hand," the Archbishop said.

In fact, “That was why on the first day (of the synod) the Holy Father (Pope Francis) had to intervene and tell us, ‘look this synod is not about changing Catholic teaching on marriage…’ since then then the interventions (from the Bishops during the synod) are so enriching,” Archbishop Ndagoso told Vatican Radio before the synod wound-up business.

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New Bishop Appointed in Benin, Nuncio in Madagascar and Seychelles Transferred to Mauritius

CANAA || By Father Don Bosco Onyalla || 26 October 2015

On Saturday, October 24, 2015, the Holy Father appointed Father Aristide Gonsallo as the new Bishop of Porto Novo diocese in Benin and transferred Archbishop Paolo Rocco Gualtieri, the Apostolic Nuncio in Madagascar and Seychelles to represent him in Mauritius.

Born in Cotonou on 4 September 1966, the Bishop-elect was ordained a priest on 27 December 1992.

Until his appointment, Father Gonsallo who belongs to the Archdiocese of Parakou was Parish priest at S. Martino di Panapé. He has also been serving as chaplain of the diocesan hospital, and responsible for the reorganisation of the diocesan health service.

Previously, he served as a teacher in the minor seminary of Parakou.

He holds a doctorate in theology from the Catholic University of Angers in France and a Master's degree and doctorate in modern letters from the same University of Angers, France.

According to Vatican Information Service, the diocese of Porto Novo has a population of 1,720,996, 650,000 Catholics, and is served by 227 priests and 124 religious.

Meanwhile, the Holy Father appointed Archbishop Paolo Rocco Gualtieri, apostolic nuncio in Madagascar and the Seychelles, as apostolic nuncio in Mauritius.

Archbishop Paolo Rocco Gualtieri was named Apostolic Nuncio to Madagascar and titular archbishop of Sagone in April 2015 after the post had been vacant since Archbishop Eugene Martin Nugent had been transferred to represent the Holy Father in Haiti in January 2015.

African Bishops Criticize Vatican's Priorities as 'Eurocentric'

The Christian Science Monitor || By Molly Jackson || 25 October 2015

The Catholic Church's increasing diversity has deepened the rift between conservatives and progressives as Pope Francis pushes increasing acceptance for marginalized church members. 

As the Vatican's Bishops' Synod drew to a close on Sunday, after three weeks of debate over how to welcome nontraditional families into the church without abandoning Catholic doctrine, it remained unclear who had "won" the unusually rancorous arguments that pitted conservatives against Francis-style progressives. 

The final recommendation to Pope Francis, a 94-point document, passed by a single vote. It avoids reforms on contentious issues such as Communion for divorced Catholics, but leaves the door open to priests' individual "discernment" as to how best minister to individuals.

Francis is expected to issue his own document in coming months, perhaps a weightier encyclical, but the document, drafted by 270 bishops, nonetheless serves to take the temperature of a rapidly-changing global Catholicism.

To Italian journalist Sandro Magister, the Synod had a clear, if surprising, victor: “The winner is Africa, no doubt,” he told The New York Times.

Over the last 100 years, Africans have grown from composing fewer than 1 percent of the world's Catholics to 16 percent, according to the Pew Research Center, just one piece of the church's radically changing demographic puzzle; only 32 percent of the church's members now come from Europe or North America, pushing the Vatican to take ever-more diverse views of family, faith, and politics into account in issuing guidelines for its more than 1.2 billion followers.

And the more socially conservative African bishops are often the leading line of defense against what Francis's critics see as radical overhauls, as the Pope seeks to make the Catholics often treated as "outliers," such as divorced or gay people, feel more welcome.

To the Pope, it seems, reform is slow in coming: On Sunday, at the Synod's final mass, he appeared to chastise listeners with the Biblical story of Bartimaeus, to whom Jesus ministered while his companions only looked on.

"If Bartimaeus was blind, they were deaf: his problem was not their problem. This can be a danger for us," Francis preached from St. Peter's Basilica. "A faith that does not know how to root itself in the life of people remains arid and, rather than oases, creates other deserts." 

Cardinal Francis Arinze, a retired but influential Vatican insider from Nigeria, insists that the Vatican's current priorities are out of touch with African parishioners' needs and views.

As the Synod debated divorce and homosexuality (unchanging in its staunch opposition to gay marriage, but upholding the dignity of gay people), "Africans say 'Lord help us! Is that what you understand by family?'" he told the Associated Press.

In preparation for the Synod, the Church's 44 African bishops met in Accra, where Cardinal Robert Sarah urged them to "speak with one voice" in Rome, according to "Christ's New Homeland: Africa," a collection of writings from the meeting published last month by Ignatius Press. 

Several seem to have heeded Cardinal Sarah's advice.

Speaking with The Washington Post about Pope Francis' priorities, Ugandan Bishop Joseph Anthony Zziwa asked, "You keep asking someone from Nigeria to tell me about homosexuality, to tell me about divorce, when five of his children have been abducted by Boko Haram? You think that person has time to talk about that?"

Pope Francis alluded to the clash of views in his concluding remarks to the Synod, saying, “we have also seen that what seems normal for a bishop on one continent, is considered strange and almost scandalous for a bishop from another; what is considered a violation of a right in one society is an evident and inviolable rule in another; what for some is freedom of conscience is for others simply confusion.”

African bishops have helped lead the charge that Western culture is carrying out "ideological colonization" – words used by Francis himself – against traditional families, a threat that they are uniquely poised to combat. 

"Africa saved the Holy Family (during the Flight to Egypt) and in these modern times Africa will also save the human family," Cardinal Sarah said in Benin in August. 

During the Synod itself, Sarah equated Islamic fundamentalism with "the idolatry of Western freedom," saying they both present a threat as great as Nazism and Communism. 

African Catholics may be poised to grow as a share of the Church, given the Vatican's ongoing struggle to retain Latin American Catholics in the face of quickly spreading Pentacostalism. 

In an interview with Pew, religion scholar Andrew Chestnut suggested that Protestant churches were winning South American converts because of their willingness to absorb local traditions into church services. "In only a century, Pentecostalism has become indigenous, or 'Latin Americanized,' to a greater extent than Roman Catholicism has in its four centuries in Latin America," he said. 

To keep worshippers in its pews, the Catholic Church may need to continue blending European and local traditions in its African churches, avoiding "Eurocentric" criticism – but either way, the impact will reach beyond Africa after the Synod's bishops have packed up for home.

The Pope will make his first visit to Africa in November, and plans to meet with slum residents and refugees, among others, in Kenya, Uganda, and the Central African Republic. 

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Historic Altar, Special Vestments, Road Network among Preparations for Papal Visit

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 26 October 2015

Various preparations are being undertaken in the three African capital cities chosen by the Pope for his maiden pastoral visit to the continent, from infrastructural to liturgical and spiritual.

Pope Francis will begin his six day pastoral trip on November 25 in Nairobi, then to Kampala on November 27 and conclude with Bangui from November 29-30.

Historic Altar

In Kenya, the open air Papal mass, scheduled for November 26, will be celebrated on the same altar used during the beatification of Blessed Sister Irene Stefani popularly known as Sister Nyaatha, which took place on May 23.

Some members of the team with the responsibility of arranging the Papal visit in Kenya inspected the altar on Sunday, in view of transporting it to Nairobi from Mathari Mission in Nyeri Archdiocese where it had been taken after the beatification ceremony.

“We picked the altar, which was made by Consolata missionaries here in Nyeri more than a hundred years ago,” the Coordinator of the Pope’s visit in Kenya, Consolata Missionary Father Stephen Okello said on Sunday, adding, “This is a symbol that the pope’s visit touches every Catholic faithful in the country despite the fact that he will visit Nairobi only.”

“This altar is historical. It was designed many years ago and was used for the beatification ceremony of Sister Irene Stefani,” Father Okello went on to clarify about the altar, which measures three feet high, eight feet long, and three and a half feet wide.

The four sides of the base of the altar have various engravings, including the symbol of the Holy Eucharist, a bird feeding its hatchlings, a dove, a fish and a lamb and has the inscriptions in Latin, ‘Redemisti Nos Domine Senguine Tuo’, meaning, “You saved us Lord by your blood.’

In Kenya, over one million pilgrims are expected to attend the Papal mass at the University of Nairobi grounds, most of whom will follow the celebration on big screens at the neighboring Central Park and Uhuru Park.

Kenya State House Spokesperson, Manoah Esipisu, revealed that Pope Francis will inspect a guard of honor and receive a 21-gun salute, which is accorded to visiting Heads of State.

Major Routes in Kampala

Work has been ongoing to repair the major roads to be used by the Papal convoy during his pastoral visit to Kampala from November 27 – 29.

Uganda’s Daily Monitor Newspaper quoted the Executive Director of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Ms Jennifer Musisi, as saying that “all major routes to be used by the Pope’s convoy are complete with only a few ongoing works to ensure all is set to receive the man of God.”

“We are currently remodelling some few road islands and beautifying the Nuncio’s residence and the Mbuya Church compound to make them look better and large enough to accommodate the Pope’s guests,” the Newspaper quoted Musisi as explaining.

Most of the destinations the Holy Father will visit are situated in the outskirts of Uganda’s capital city, Kampala.

The five places the Pope will include Munyonyo and Namugongo Martyrs Shrines, the Anglican shrine at Nakiyanja, Bakateyamba” (elderly home) at Nalukolongo, Lubaga Cathedral and Kololo Airstrip.

The Catholic Church leadership in Uganda chose the theme for the Papal pastoral visit as, ‘You Will Be My Witness’, a quotation from the Acts of the Apostles 1:8, which is, incidentally, the motto of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB).

The Bishops in Kenya chose the theme for the Pope's visit as: Stand strong in faith, do not be afraid.

Mass Vestments

The vestments to be used by the Holy Father, the Bishops and Priests at the Eucharistic celebrations during his pastoral visit in Kenya are being prepared by a team of tailors at the Dimesse Sisters’ Convent under St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Kangemi, where the Pope is scheduled to visit on November 27.

“We already have samples of his (Pope Francis’) chasuble; I will be taking them to the bishops for approval. Everybody here is working around the clock to have all the vestments ready,” Sr. Ida Lagonegro of the Dimesse Sisters who is supervising the team of tailors making the vestments told Catholic Mirror in Kenya.

Some 60 Catholic Bishops and hundreds of priests are expected to concelebrate at the Papal open air mass in Nairobi on November 26.

“It is not a rumour anymore, we have received official communication from the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops that Pope Francis will be visiting us on Friday, November 27,” the Parish Priest of St. Joseph the Worker, Kangemi, Father Paschal Mwijage has been quoted by Catholic Mirror in Kenya. 

Hope for Peace: Central African Republic

In the Central African Republic (CAR), religious leaders including representatives of the Islamic Council are hoping that the pastoral visit by Pope Francis will bring peace to their country, which has experienced civil war since 2013.

Below is an article by By Jonathan Luxmoore of Catholic News Service.

Religious leaders in the Central African Republic have predicted the pope's upcoming visit could reconcile opposing factions, three years after a Muslim-led rebellion plunged the country into civil war.

"This will be a key event for all Central Africans, whatever their religious affiliations," said Imam Omar Kobine Layama, president of the Islamic Council. "We're hoping the Holy Father will bring a clear message about the unity of believers, interfaith dialogue, human rights and peace, which could really liberate us and help rebuild social links the various armed groups have destroyed."

Pope Francis will visit the capital, Bangui, Nov. 29-30, after visiting Kenya and Uganda. Included in his itinerary is a meeting with Muslims in the city's central Koudoukou mosque.

In an Oct. 22 interview with Catholic News Service, the imam said Muslim leaders had asked Pope Francis to call on rebel groups to give up their weapons after U.N.-sponsored disarmament efforts had failed "to get the message across."

"The Holy Father has already done a great deal to help all Central Africans, whether they're Catholics, Muslims, Protestants or animists," he told CNS. "This will be, first and foremost, an occasion for prayer. But it will also allow us to present our Muslim community to the world, highlighting its anxieties and fears."

Meanwhile, the secretary-general of the Central African Republic bishops' conference said Muslim representatives had been consulted about plans for the two-day visit and how the pope's presence could best serve to ease the crisis.

"The Holy Father will speak to the hearts of both Christians and Muslims -- we hope he'll find the right words and gestures to save our country and enable us to move forward," Msgr. Cyriaque Gbate Doumalo told Catholic News Service Oct. 22.

"People of all communities here are aware of the totality of tasks we face and very much need encouragement and hope. The conditions are right, and we count on them to respond appropriately at this important moment for testimony, forgiveness and reconciliation."

The Catholic Church's nine dioceses make up a third of the 4.4 million inhabitants of the Central African Republic, where a rebel Seleka movement, led by Arab-speaking Islamists, suspended the constitution in March 2013 but was driven back after the January 2014 deployment of French and African peacekeepers.

A National Reconciliation Forum, convened by the country's transitional parliament in May, brought armed factions from Seleka and its Christian-dominated rival, Anti-Balaka, into preparations for an Oct. 4 constitutional referendum. However, the national vote was postponed after a late-September upsurge of Christian-Muslim violence in Bangui left at least 36 people dead and 27,000 displaced.

The pope's itinerary includes talks with the Central African Republic's transitional president, Catherine Samba-Panza, and a prayer vigil outside Bangui's Notre Dame Cathedral, as well as a meeting with Protestants and celebrating Mass at the city's 20,000-seat Barthelemy Boganda Stadium.

Msgr. Doumalo said Bangui Archbishop Dieudonne Nzapalainga, president of the bishops' conference, would be meeting with the Vatican nuncio and government officials to make final preparations for the visit.

He added that the Pope Francis would be meeting some of the Central African Republic's 460,000 internally displaced inhabitants Nov. 29 at a refugee camp in St. Savior Parish near the stadium and said church leaders were working closely with African and French forces from the U.N. peacekeeping operation to ensure security for the visit.

Msgr. Doumalo said local Catholics recalled an August 1985 pilgrimage by St. John Paul II and hoped the latest papal visit would help the country "rebuild and develop."

"The preparations are now far advanced, and we're praying nothing now dislodges them," he said.

"Africans are naturally religious people -- they believe in God and trust the pope's capacity to help after all these barbaric sufferings. In this Year of Mercy, we hope his message will he heard throughout the region, and that groups like Boko Haram will see it as an occasion to return to the path of peace."

Bishops in South Africa Advocate for “genuine transformation” of Tertiary Education amid Students’ Demonstrations

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 22 October 2015

The Southern Africa Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) is calling for the speeding up of the process toward a “genuine transformation” of the tertiary education sector in South Africa maintaining that the current pace “remains unacceptably slow.”

In a Press Release on Thursday, October 22, the Bishops call for “a clear and time bound plan” that will ensure, among other issues, curricula “genuinely contextual and reflective of African knowledge production;” an increase in “the proportion of black and female professors;” an elimination of “language barriers;” a focus on “greater attention on teaching & learning;” and “a zero tolerance approach to racism of any kind on campus.”

University students have been demonstrating in South Africa, expressing anger over a proposed increase in tuition fees.

According to a BBC report, “The demonstrations began last week at Johannesburg's prestigious University of the Witwatersrand, and have since spread to at least 10 universities, forcing the closure of many of them.”

“Twenty-nine South Africans have been charged with public violence amid the biggest student protests to hit the country since apartheid ended in 1994,” BBC reported on Thursday.

Below is the press release on the current situation in the tertiary education section in South Africa, published on the website of the Southern Africa Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC).

PRESS RELEASE ON THE CURRENT SITUATION IN THE TERTIARY EDUCATION SECTOR IN OUR COUNTRY.

The Department of Social Action (DSA) of the Southern Africa Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) unequivocally believes that no academically worthy young South African should be denied the opportunity to study at higher education level because of their financial situation, or that of their family. This is critical both as a matter of justice to redress the consequences of apartheid, but also to build a globally competitive national skills base to enable economic and human development in South Africa.

Indeed SACBC’s associate body the Rural Education Access Programme (REAP), by virtue of its partnerships with the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and corporate South Africa, has granted bursaries and loans to hundreds of rural young people from low income families enabling them to enter universities all over South Africa.

DSA recognises that South Africa’s current fiscal limitations make completely fee free education impossible for all financially needy students in the short to medium term. The national economy is in decline, the majority of adults are still not in a financial position to pay income tax, many universities are in serious financial difficulty and there are numerous equally valid and urgent demands on the public purse – from housing, to health to quality schooling. Whilst higher education is vitally important, the scale of its resourcing must be held in balance with competing national needs. We also recognise that tuition fee increases cannot be dissociated from cuts in government subsidies to institutions.

As a matter of equity, DSA also believes that if the state offers a young person the chance of gaining a degree that will exponentially increase their earning potential, then at such point as the graduate is earning a substantial income, it is reasonable to expect that they make affordable repayments to the state so that those who follow them can also benefit.

The current NSFAS scheme provides for student loans which are in large part converted to bursaries upon successful completion of courses, leaving students with partial debt upon graduation. DSA supports this approach provided there is sufficient funding for all financially disadvantaged students and that all reasonable student needs including adequate food and shelter are covered, and that payments are effected timeously. This is in accordance with principles of common good, particularly applicable in the fiscally constrained context South Africa finds itself in. We encourage NSFAS to urgently address shortcomings in its administration that have sometimes exacerbated the challenges already faced by needy students.

We welcome the establishment of a Presidential task force to investigate financial means of giving effect to the desire to afford access to higher education for all academically and financially deserving young people. This should include partnership with the private sector, more optimal utilisation of current resources as well as additional taxation measures. We also strongly encourage NSFAS to significantly improve the current repayment performance on its loan book. These measures have the potential to inject substantially increased and sustainable funding into the pool, thereby increasing student access.

DSA also recognises that the pace of genuine transformation in our higher education institutions remains unacceptably slow and that there is an urgent need for a clear and time bound plan to:-
• revise curricula to make them more genuinely contextual and reflective of African knowledge production;
• significantly increase the proportion of black and female professors;
• eliminate language barriers to genuine access for all students
• focus greater attention on teaching & learning
• adopt a zero tolerance approach to racism of any kind on campus.

Vice Chancellors and University Councils must be held directly accountable for delivery of clear transformation outcomes.

Whilst sympathising with the root causes of student anger, DSA condemns all acts of intimidation, violence and malicious damage to property. Even with the best will and efforts in the world, many of the solutions to legitimate student grievances will take time to be realised. In the meantime, DSA urges all parties to act with a spirit of restraint, mutual understanding and compromise, particularly as students prepare to write year end exams.

We then call upon DHET and all other relevant stakeholders, including the corporate sector, to urgently work together to develop and drive a comprehensive and achievable plan of action with short, medium and long term deliverables.

For further contact, please call Russell Davies, Director of REAP on 0767800469.

Catholic Society in Ghana Sets up 12-Year Strategic Plan to help Church Hierarchy

CANAA || By Damian Avevor, Accra || 22 October 2015

The Knights and Ladies of Marshall, a Catholic Friendly Society in Ghana founded on the lines of the Order of the Knights of Columbus of the United States of America, has launched its 90^th anniversary celebration with a 12-year Strategic Plan.

The Strategic Plan aims to prepare Catholic men and women who would work in co-operation with the hierarchy of the Church and other Kindred Orders to enhance the propagation of the Gospel and for the transformation of society.

The year-long celebration, which will be climaxed in November 2016 is on the theme: The Marshallan and the New Evangelisation for the Transmission of the Faith, with activities such as Lectures, Quiz, Exhibition, Reunion for the Junior Order, and Awards.

Addressing a Press Soiree at the forecourt of the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Adabraka, Accra on Wednesday, October 21, 2015 to mark the 90^th Anniversary of the Noble Order, the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Marshall, Sir Kt. Ernest Amoako-Arhen said that the new strategic direction was to review and reposition the Noble Order to be more relevant and responsive to the changing realities of our times and environment as well as to foster, amongst members, a strong fraternal spirit and relationship.

The aim of the Soiree was to strengthen the bond of friendship between the Knights and Ladies of Marshall and the media, and also to give updates of the activities of the Noble Order.

“I am confident that by the end of our interaction the Catholics amongst you will be anxious to register as members of our Noble Order and give us a wider publicity in our activities,” Sir Kt. Amoako-Arhen said.

He noted that the vision was to groom committed and knowledgeable body of Catholic men and women guided by the gospel values to promote the Evangelization mission of the Church.

He revealed that the objectives of the Noble Order in the next twelve years will include deepening Spiritual Formation of members for evangelization, and exploring and undertaking viable business ventures.

He said the Noble Order has on the drawing board of setting up a Microfinance Company; establishing the St. Anthony Schools Complex – from the Pre School to Junior High School level to the Senior High School category while the construction of a 30-acre Rubber Plantation was also underway at Samanhu near Tarkwa in the Western Region of Ghana.

Sir Kt. Amoako-Arhen went on to note that the Strategic Plan also included energizing MAREDES (NGO) and making it an efficient platform for advocacy and charity works of the Noble Order, pursuing expansion and growth of the Noble Order both within and outside Ghana, and managing the various investments and Funds established by the Noble Order.

He told journalists that over the years, the Noble Order had undertaken many social actions in the various communities: Giving to the poor, supporting education of needy pupils, provision of clothing and shelter to those in need especially in times of disaster; visiting and providing for the sick, assisting prisoners, supporting the Formation of Seminarians, encouraging girl-child education especially in Mathematics and Science.

He accentuated that the Marshallan Knighthood was a call to a life of love, charity and service and a life that brings Christ to the poor and needy.

“It is a life that rejects, anger, malice and vindictiveness but finds joy in selfless giving and true friendship and most importantly, our service to the Church and the Nation should be unquestionable,” Sir Kt. Amoako-Arhen said.

The Knights of Marshall was established in November, 1926 with 13 Founding Members, with the Supreme Headquarters in Sekondi, Ghana.

It has its motto: Unity, Charity and Fraternity under the patronage of Saint St. Anthony of Padua.

It has its female counterpart society called the Ladies of Marshall, which was established in December, 1969 with 386 founding members in nine Courts.

The Ladies of Marshall’s motto is: Unity, Charity and Service, with the Blessed Virgin Mary as its patron.

Nigerian Archbishop Applies North African History to Synod, Urges Evangelization

Aleteia || By Diane Montagna || 22 October 2015

Why was Christianity swept away in the Maghreb with the arrival of Islam centuries ago, and what lesson does this chapter in history teach us today?

Aleteia posed this question to Archbishop Matthew Ndagoso of the Kaduna diocese, Nigeria—who is on the front lines in the battle against Boko Haram. Archbishop Ndagoso is currently in Rome, serving at the Synod on the Family.

Your Excellency, can you tell us how the arrival of Islam in North Africa led to the near disappearance of Christianity in the Maghreb?

During the first five centuries, the Church in North Africa flourished. In fact, many of the doctrines of the Church were shaped in North Africa by great ecclesiastical figures such as St. Augustine and St. Cyprian. Unfortunately, with the coming of Islam, the Church almost disappeared. [This] can be explained in part through the spread of false doctrine. At that time, it was the Arian heresy. Christian doctrine is defined for us. The temptation, when faced with difficulties and challenges, is to say things in a way people are more comfortable with and thereby weaken doctrine.

People are looking for something authentic. People are looking for something they can hold on to, knowing: “This is what I believe.” But when doctrine is weakened, doubts begin to creep into the minds of people, and they begin to think: “Is it really authentic?” And they begin to look elsewhere.

In Egypt the Christian message was incarnated into the culture. The Christian message permeated the Coptic culture so much so that separating the people from Christianity was like separating them from their own culture. That is why, right from the beginning, Christianity has remained in Egypt.

And that is why—if you remember the first synod of bishops for Africa, popularly known as ‘the African Synod,’ one of the major topics discussed was inculturation. If we want the Gospel message to endure anywhere, it must be part of the people’s thinking. It must be part of their lives. It must become a way of life for them. Once the Gospel message is incarnated into cultures, it enters in and purifies the culture. People are able to think it; they are able to live it. Wherever you go, there is no separation between them and their religion.

In that way—come rain, come sunshine—people will defend their faith, because to separate them from their faith will be like separating them from their blood.

I think this is what was lacking in areas where Islam came in and swept away Christianity from North Africa, as though it didn’t exist. Now it only exists in ruins. [We must] learn a huge lesson from this. When I was a student here in Rome, I used to say to my friends: “If what happened in North Africa after 600 years of Christianity should happen today in my country, would the Christian faith survive?” For me that is a very, very important question.

It is also a lesson for the synod fathers: once there is a struggle between leaders, once strange philosophical arguments about the faith creep in, it begins to weaken the faith.

Can you give an example?

Yes, I can give a very clear example. We are here for the Synod on the Family. It’s very clear that from the beginning, God created man and woman. He said: “It’s not good for man to be alone,” so he created the woman so that they would complement each other. It’s very clear in the Bible. Yet today there are claims coming even from Church leaders saying we need to interpret this in the light of this new situation…. Once discordant voices begin to emerge from the people who are supposed to lead, it weakens the followers. And so anyone can come, anyone can come with his own version of Christianity, and the flock is confused. We are seeing this happen even in our own day.

And young people especially want something they can hold on to. Therefore, I don’t think weakening or watering down our beliefs just to suit the modern world will help us. It will destroy us. That was the case with North Africa. Once you weaken it, it’s swept away. Everyone wants what’s original. When you go for a coffee, you want to taste a good, strong coffee. People are looking for the original, real thing, and we have this in the Catholic Church.

Is there anything else you would like to talk about?

Yes. I would like to talk about the Middle East.

Western culture, whether they like it or not, is built on Christian values … Muslims from the Middle East are flocking to the West, to Christian countries. It is good for us to offer hospitality, but I think it’s an opportunity for us to offer them Gospel values, and I hope our brothers and sisters in the West will see this as an opportunity. We don’t use people’s situation to exploit. But if we are offering them charity, if we are offering them food, we must also be able to offer them the food of life, the Gospel message.

This is what I want to say to my brothers and sisters in the West: These people are flocking from Africa and the Middle East to the West, simply because of the way Christian values over the centuries have made the West a place where you can go and be accepted regardless of where you come from. Therefore, I think that along with offering them welcome, we must not forget to offer them the Word of Life, Jesus Christ.

And the Synod, how in your view has it gone thus far?

What has made everything very smooth, so to speak, is the Holy Father’s intervention on Tuesday of the first week, when he made it very, very clear, in no uncertain terms, that he wanted everybody to know that the Church’s teaching on marriage and the family remains unchanged.

So really that statement calmed many minds. It has made a huge difference. He listened to the interventions on Monday, and on Tuesday he made that statement.

Are you referring to Cardinal Erdo’s intervention on Monday of the first week of the synod?

Yes. He gave a wonderful presentation. Wonderful.

Did you interpret the pope’s intervention on Tuesday of the first week to be affirming what Cardinal Erdo said in his report?

Exactly. Yes.

Some European Bishops Conference’s, particularly Germany, are expected to push for pastoral innovations or structural changes which impinge on doctrine.

“We are ready to stay in our poverty with our faith.”

Diane Montagna is Rome correspondent for Aleteia’s English edition.

Thousands of Clergy and Religious Register to Participate at Papal Events, Vetting by Security to Follow

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 22 October 2015

Thousands of clergy and religious women and men as well as those undergoing initial formation are expected to take part at a number of Papal events during Pope Francis’ maiden pastoral trip to Africa where he will be addressing millions of pilgrims on the continent.

The six day trip will see the Holy Father visit the capital cities of Kenya, Uganda, and the Central African Republic (CAR), with other religious leaders, the less fortunate in society, and the youth among his target audience.

The vetting of the clergy and religious who are to attend these Papal events is to be undertaken to ascertain their identity and be issued with Entry Pass tickets for security purposes.

The case of Kenya

Kenya will be the first stop of the Pope’s maiden pastoral visit to Africa since he was made the 266^th leader of the estimated 1.2billion Catholics worldwide.

The experience of attacks by the Somalia-based Islamic group Al Shabaab in Kenya, especially the September 2013 assault on the Westgate shopping mall that killed at least 67 and the April massacre of some 148 people, mostly Christians, at the Garissa University, has raised security concerns ahead of the Pope’s visit due to the large crowds that are expected to gather.

The Pontiff has scheduled to meet with leaders representing Kenya's multi-faith community in what is seen as efforts to promote inter-religious dialogue.

The Kenyan Government is fully behind the Catholic Church to protect the security of the Holy Father, leaving nothing to chance.

According to the National Executive Secretary of the Commission for Clergy and Religious of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), Sister Tecla Chepng’eno, the government of Kenya has given her office the deadline of Friday, October 23 to submit names and particulars of all Clergy and Religious men and wowen intending to attend the Papal events.

“We are in the final stages of compiling the final list with the deadline of Friday in mind. There should be well over 6,000 clergy, religious, seminarians and novices representing the various dioceses and religious orders and congregations in Kenya,” Sister Chepng’eno told CANAA on Thursday.

On Tuesday, the Executive Secretary of the Religious Superiors’ Conference of Kenya (RSCK), Bro. David P. Mahoney told CANAA he had submitted to KCCB the list and particulars of religious men for vetting.

“So far over 1600 religious men -- including professed, seminarians, novices, and postulants – have already signed up for admission to the section to be reserved for religious at the Pope’s public Mass on 26 November and to the prayer service/audience for priests and religious in the afternoon at St. Mary’s School, M’songari,” Bro. Mahoney said.

During the beatification of Blessed Sr. Irene in Nyeri last May, it was reported that those arrested for different crimes accessed places disguised as priests and religious.

“In a daring stance, two women dressed as nuns on Friday night walked into a hostel at Kimathi University of Technology and stole two bags belonging to foreign nuns in the country for the beatification ceremony of Sister Irene Stefani,” a Kenyan paper reported,

“On the same night, a saloon car also went missing at Gikondi Catholic Church as the pilgrims observed their vigil,” the same paper added on its digital version.

In Uganda

The Holy Father will arrive in Uganda on Friday, November 27 and leave for CAR on November 29.

According to a local newspaper the Daily Monitor, “Organisers of the trip agreed ten days ago that forty Christians from each of the nineteen Catholic dioceses in the country, eighty members of the organising committee and another 200 guests comprising journalists, government officials and Entebbe municipality residents will receive the Pope on arrival.”

Some one thousand people are expected to receive the Holy Father at Entebbe International Airport at 4:50pm on Friday, November 27, 2015, and drive to Kampala with stop-overs waving to and blessing pilgrims along the highway.

“The Church is mobilising about 100, 000 faithful to receive the Holy Father’s entourage of forty outside the church in Munyonyo, with entertainment provided by a 350-strong choir,” the same daily reported, adding, “There will also be 150 ecumenical persons, thirty bishops and 300 Munyonyo parishioners for the 7:15pm papal audience.”

On Saturday, November 28, the Holy Father will begin his day by visiting the Anglican shrine of the Martyrs in Namugongo at 8.30 a.m. before moving on to the Catholic Shrine.

At Namugongo Catholic Martyrs Shrine, some 70 foreign bishops are expected to join the 33 Catholic Bishops in Uganda, with 2, 800 catholic priests among the concelebrants at the Holy Eucharist, which will begin at 10 a.m.

The Case of CAR

The visit by the Holy Father is expected to give hope to a people who have known strife for a long time.

The Nuncio in CAR, Archbishop Franco Coppola has announced that the Holy Father hopes to “personally meet and bless each and every Central African.”

The country has experienced a wave of armed conflict since 2013 with much of the violence in the capital Bangui being driven by the anti-balaka militia, which is largely Christian, and a mainly Muslim group called the Seleka.

Last month, there was violence in Bangui following the murder of a Muslim, during which 77 people were reportedly killed and more than 40,000 people fled their homes.

A report by Aid to Church in Need (ACN) sited by Zenit described the situation in Bangui and its environs as “very confused,” and shared reports of the deaths of dozens, a church burned down, numerious facilities looted, and 800 inmates freed from prison over the course of the most recent unrest.

However, upcoming elections and the papal visit planned for the end of November are “a sign of hope for a better and more peaceful future,” Christine du Coudray, head of the Africa section for ACN was quoted as saying.

Western powers and aid agencies are expected to do everything they can to present the spiral of violence and chaos witnessed in the last couple of years.

Religious Congregations and Mission Partners: An Experience of Mission Effectiveness in Kolwezi

Global Sisters Report || By Clare Nolan || 11 October 2015

Year by year we experienced a decline of religious sisters on the staff of Good Shepherd Services, the congregationally sponsored child care agency where I worked. At the same time, professional non-sister staff has grown exponentially as the organization has grown, with new programs developed and departments expanded; managing them has required evermore specialized and complex skills. That was the case in 1990 in New York City, when I assumed a new role as the agency’s first mission effectiveness coordinator. Catholic hospitals had been attending to the trend of a growing lay staff and decline in sister personnel for quite some time, and a number of child welfare institutions began learning from their experience.

The goal of mission effectiveness programs was to “pass on” the heritage of the religious charism through activities as varied as new staff orientation, values articulation workshops, telling and re-telling the founding stories, engagement in strategic planning and staff appreciation luncheons. It required a shift from an attitude that religious sisters “owned” their corporately sponsored works to a mutuality whereby staff was placed in positions, including leadership, based on skill in professional disciplines and responsibility for the vision and mission of the organization. This called for changed perceptions, new understandings, and previously unexpected behaviors. A new awareness of mission, more encompassing than within the members of the congregation, had begun. Although some chaos ensued, over the years we realized that through the integration of staff with our spiritual heritage and mission, we were not so much “passing on” or “preserving” an identity but in fact were shaping it and energizing it anew for the world of today through the input, experience and commitments of all who shared in the desire for compassion and human dignity.

We also came to realize that, more than pragmatic inevitability, the work was a plodding implementation of the vision of the church. Vatican Council II (1962–65) had long ago highlighted that the ministry of the church is and ought to be so much broader than the roles played by clerical or religious orders that had established and administrated, over the past century, a mighty work-force of social service institutions — hospitals, schools, orphanages and care for the aged. In recent decades the church has reminded us that “the laity strive by their civic and apostolic activity to set up a public order based on justice and love.” (Decree Ad Gentes on the Mission Activity of the Church) Later Pope Benedict stressed, “The laity must no longer be viewed as ‘collaborators’ but truly recognized as co-responsible for the church’s being and action.” (Opening of the Pastoral Convention of the Diocese of Rome on the theme "Church Membership and Pastoral Co-responsibility”) In all cases in pluralistic societies “laity” implies a catholic connotation of inclusion of all co-workers of any faith or no faith, all with good will, working for truth.

After five years of mission effectiveness work, I moved to ministry in international justice when my congregation became affiliated with the United Nations. Now, several years later and doing justice training, the circle has come fully around. Justice training involves human rights, child protection and advocacy. And for many of our newer or renewing programs, I am happily discovering that, optimally, such training involves a significant amount of mission effectiveness. This was clear on my last visit in August to Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the 45 staff members of a three-year-old program (Le Bon Pasteur, Kolwezi) are enthusiastically learning the founding story, acquainting themselves, in the manner of a long-distance friendship, to the congregational founders, and making values applications to their daily practice.

The staff in Kolwezi works with communities who experience abject poverty within the exploitive environment of the mining sector. They easily locate common threads of experience in a history dating back to 1600s in France and their lives in the third millennium. The connection stimulates a thirst for a world transformed by the action of God’s love and mercy. Staff easily places the congregational heritage side by side with U.N. Sustainable Development Goals; side by side with human rights and side by side with advocacy actions to change systems. With that background, they apply the concepts to their daily practice. Clearly, they are paving the way towards an order based on justice and love.

In one exercise, each staff group portrayed the religions founder and foundress in various skits, imagining the French religious — a priest from 1600s and a semi-cloistered nun from the 1800s — visiting their programs in the Congo today. One skit in particular bridged the divide of centuries by a simple action: after listening to the difficulties of suffering people, the “foundress” reached into her large pocket book and pulled out a soda to give to each — the compassion of immediate relief and practical comfort on a basic human level — surely an order based on justice and love. I watched the skits and knew that the staff understood both heritage and human rights.

At the end of the week’s training, each staff member received a nylon neck pouch with the agency logo, the same logo as the religious symbol worn by the sisters. The pouches are primarily for identification and safety when they walk through communities for home visits. Pleased to receive the pouches, one staff member asked about the meaning of the logo, which incorporates a cross, a shepherd’s staff and a heart. After the explanation he commented with obvious pride that he had always seen the symbol worn by the sisters and always thought the symbol was only for the sisters. But now, he concluded, he sees that he wears the same symbol and it is for each one, not exclusive to the sisters. He truly recognized himself as co-responsible for the mission; and the group affirmed that, yes, each one participates through professional and civic ministry to create a public order based on justice and love. The mission is alive; the mission is effective.

So too I recognized that I had traveled a circle, an ever widening one over these many years since I first engaged in mission effectiveness. Often we hear talk of diminishment; sometimes we lament low numbers of sisters. But that is only the surface; underneath, we have begun to talk about identity. We have dared to share our deepest spiritual desires with all who share our ministry. We have listened to new insights from those new to the story. We envision ancient values in new contexts and we experience justice and love across all epochs. The pathway I joined in 1990, already well trod by Catholic health care institutions, has stretched around the world and into the small city of Kolwezi where fellow citizens, professional staff, answer a call to a mission that has a special concern to share “the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of people of this age.” (Gaudium et Spes) As staff reaches out to “those who are poor or in any way afflicted,” the Good Shepherd mission partners of Kolwezi meet God in both joy and in grief, addressing global issues, confronting the most pressing needs of today’s world and creating a sustainable foundation for the future that reaches effectively back to the past of a rich heritage.

[Sr. Clare Nolan is the International Justice Training Coordinator for the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, an international woman’s religious congregation that is involved in providing social services in about 70 counties, with a particular focus on women and girls in vulnerable situations.]

Bishop Thanks Pope Francis for Being Close During the Ebola Crisis

Vatican Radio || By Fr. Paul Samasumo || 17 October 2015

The Church in Sierra Leone has thanked Pope Francis for being close to them during the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak of last year.

Sierra Leone’s Bishop of Bo Diocese,  Charles Allieu Matthew Campbell is attending the Synod of Bishops on the Family, currently taking place at the Vatican. This week, Bishop Campbell had the opportunity to publicly thank Pope Francis for the prayers, support and for financial assistance to his country.  The Bishop used part of his presentation, at the Synod, to thank Pope Francis.

Bishop Campbell said the Church in Sierra Leone is grateful that Pope Francis expressed solidarity with the people of his country at a very difficult time. The Pope went a mile further and provided “some generous donation” that the Church in Sierra Leone used for the pastoral care and support of devastated families and communities.

“In my intervention (this week at the Synod of Bishops on the Family), I thanked the Holy Father because we did get some assistance. In addition to the prayers that he offered, he also sent us some generous donation to help us help families. We are very grateful. We also had a lot of support from other people (and organisations),” Bishop Campbell told the Africa Service of Vatican Radio.

According to the Bishop, in its wake the Ebola virus outbreak left a toll of destruction. In some cases entire families and even whole villages were wiped out. The Bishop spoke of families that remain traumatised to this day. Many children have been orphaned and families have been left stranded because heads of households are dead.

Nevertheless, the Bishop is hopeful that slowly things will pick-up though he says it will take a long time especially to rebuild the economic and agricultural livelihoods of people. At the peak of the disease, agricultural fields were abandoned. Many people who depend on the land need help in order for them to re-start their farms.

“It is well over 200 days now and our country may be declared Ebola-free on the 8 November, this year –please God, if things continue the way they are going,” Bishop Campbell said.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as of 11 October 2015, there were no new confirmed cases of Ebola in the whole of West Africa. This is the second consecutive week with zero confirmed cases. Nevertheless, 150 registered contacts remain under follow-up in Guinea. WHO continues to warn countries and communities to exercise caution as the disease could easily recur.

New Ghanaian Bishop Commends Catholics for Maintaining Identity

CANAA || By Damian Avevor and Angela Ofosu Boateng || 19 October 2015

The newly installed Bishop of Ho Diocese in Ghana, Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD, has commended Ghanaian Catholics at Keta in the southern part of the country for holding on to their faith firmly and maintaining their Catholic identity in all their endeavours.

Bishop Fianu made the commendation on Sunday October 18, when he presided over a thanksgiving Mass at St. Michael Co-Cathedral at Keta to climax the 125^th Anniversary of the planting of Catholic faith in Keta.

The theme for the year-long celebration which was launched in October last year, was New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith in the Light of Africae Munus.

Bishop Fianu said that with their strong faith in the Church, Catholics in Ghana, especially the youth, should not allow themselves to be swayed by activities of other Churches but continue to have firm faith in the Catholic Church which was established by Jesus Christ himself.

The Mass in Ewe which coincided with World Mission Sunday, was attended by about 2,000 faithful from all the Parishes and Outstations in the Diocese.

Bishop Fianu urged the faithful to emulate the zeal with which the early missionaries planted the faith and spread it to other parts of the Volta region by spreading the Word of God to every corner of the earth.

Saying that 125 years of Catholicism was worth celebrating, the Bishop urged the faithful to look back at how the Church began and how it has grown into a mighty tree, entreating them not only to remain with the faith but share it with others.

He cautioned them against multiple allegiance, especially to the lesser gods, saying that it was contradictory to the Catholic faith.

The Prelate entreated parents to help the youth to better understand the Catholic faith by teaching them to read and study the Scriptures so that they would be able to profess their faith boldly and defend it.

He commended the faithful for continuing the evangelization works of the early Missionaries and paid glowing tributes to the Society of African Missions (SMA) who brought the faith to the region and the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) for the good works they were doing in the area of education.

Bishop Fianu also called for Church-State collaboration in the provision of quality education and the creation of job opportunities especially for the youth in the southern sector of the country to prevent them from seeking greener pastures in bigger cities.

He said if the youth were gainfully employed they would contribute to the development of the area and the Church.

Bishop Anthony Kwami Adanuty of Keta-Akatsi and Bishop Gabriel A.A. Mante of Jasikan together with well over 50 Priests concelebrated.

About 20 Religious Sisters and Brothers working in the Diocese and beyond attended the celebration.

Bishop Adanuty, who earlier on welcomed the faithful to celebration, noted that the faith that was professed 125 years ago in Keta, had grown into the Ho, Keta-Akatsi and Jasikan Dioceses, saying that the presence of the three Bishops had made the celebration complete.

In a Goodwill Message, Bishop Mante congratulated the faithful of Keta for reaching a significant milestone in the life of the Co-cathedral Church and thanked God for the countless blessings bestowed on the Church, particularly for protecting and preserving it from the ravages of the sea.

He said the celebration was an affirmation that they had not abandoned the faith that was handed over to them by their forbearers 125 years ago, but had relentlessly adhered to God’s command to “go and make disciples of all nation”.

Welcoming the faithful to the durbar, Rev. Fr. Vincent Agboli, the Co-Cathedral Administrator, noted that the purpose of the celebration was to thank God for the gift of the Catholic faith that was planted 125 years ago.

Program for Pope’s Maiden Visit to Africa Published, Other Religious Leaders, Less Fortunate, Youth, among Target Audience

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 19 October 2015

The program for the Holy Father’s maiden trip to Africa was published on Saturday, October 17, 2015, just over a month to the six day pastoral trip that will see Pope Francis visit three capital cities in Africa.

Africa offers the hope of the global Church, with a steady rise of Catholic believers, from the barely 2 million at the start of the 20^th Century to well over 200 million Catholics today, virtually all of them native Africans.

The Pope is scheduled to begin his first African pastoral trip in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi on November 25, travel to Kampala in Uganda on November 27, and conclude with Bangui, the capital city of the Central African Republic (CAR), where he will arrive on November 29.

He has scheduled meetings with religious leaders of other denominations and religions and organized audience with the poor, and the youth besides the relevant national leaders, members of the diplomatic corps, as well as the clergy, men and women religious and the Catholic laity from all walks of life.

Other Religious Leaders

On the second day of his African trip, on November 26, an interreligious and ecumenical meeting with the Pope has been scheduled.

A similar gathering is being organized in CAR, where the Pope will meet the evangelical communities the afternoon of his first day there and the Muslim community on the very last day of his African trip.

In Uganda, the Pope is set to visit the Anglican Martyrs’ shrine before visiting the Catholic one the morning of November 28.

The Less Fortunate

The third day of the Pope’s trip will see him visit what has been described as “the poor quarter of Kangemi in Nairobi,” where he is expected to interact with his Jesuit confreres who minister in that parish community.

In Uganda, Pope Francis will visit the Nalukolongo House of Charity.

In CAR, a visit to a refugee camp has been scheduled.

The Youth

The Holy Father has planned an exclusive encounter with the youth in Nairobi and in Kampala at the Kasarani Stadium and Kololo Airstrip respectively.

In CAR, besides the open Eucharistic celebration where the youth will actively participate, the Holy Father will confess some young faithful the evening of November 29.

Citizens of Africa, especially those in the regions the Pope will visit, are hoping to draw inspiration from his visit considering the Pope’s ability to speak about and propose solutions to some of the challenges in Africa.

Below is the full itinerary of the Holy Father’s eleventh apostolic trip, as reported by Vatican Information Service.

Vatican City, 17 October 2015 (VIS) – Today the programme was published for Pope Francis' apostolic trip to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic, to take place from 25 to 30 November.

The Holy Father will depart from Rome's Fiumicino airport on 7.45 a.m. on Wednesday 25 November, destined for “Jomo Kenyatta” airport in Nairobi, Kenya, where he is due to arrive at 5 p.m. Following the welcome ceremony at State House, he will pay a courtesy visit to the president of the Republic and will meet with the authorities and diplomatic corps.

On Thursday 26 November, the Pope will attend an interreligious and ecumenical meeting in the apostolic nunciature in Nairobi, after which he will celebrate Holy Mass on the University of Nairobi campus. This will be followed by a meeting with the clergy, men and women religious and seminarians at the St. Mary's School sports field. The day will conclude with a visit to the United Nations Office at Nairobi.

Friday 27 November will begin with a visit to the poor quarter of Kangemi in Nairobi, after which he will meet first with young people in the Kasarani Stadium, and then with Kenyan bishops. After the farewell ceremony at “Jomo Kenyatta” airport, the Pope will depart for Entebbe, Uganda at 3.30 p.m, where he will arrive at 4.50 p.m.

After the welcome ceremony at Entebbe International airport, the Pope will pay a courtesy visit to the president in the State House, and will meet the authorities and diplomatic corps in the conference hall. The third day of his apostolic trip will conclude with a visit to Munyonyo and greetings to catechists and teachers.

On Saturday 28 November, the Pope will visit the Anglican and Catholic shrines to martyrs in Namugongo, and will celebrate Mass for the martyrs of Uganda in the area of the Catholic shrine. After meeting with the young at the Kololo Air Strip at Kampala, he will visit the Nalukolongo House of Charity. At 6 p.m. he will meet with Ugandan bishops in the archbishop's residence, followed by an encounter with the clergy, men and women religious and seminarians in the cathedral.

After a farewell ceremony at Entebbe airport, at 9.15 a.m. the Holy Father will depart for the Central African Republic, the third leg of his apostolic trip, where he is scheduled to arrive at the International “M'Poko” airport of Bangui at 10 a.m. He will first pay a courtesy visit to the Head of State of the Transition in the presidential palace “de la Renaissance” and will meet with members of the governing class and diplomatic corps. This will be followed by a visit to a refugee camp and an encounter with the bishops of the country. In the afternoon he will meet with evangelical communities at the faculty of evangelical theology in Bangui, and will celebrate Mass with the clergy, men and women religious, catechists and the young in the cathedral of Bangui. He will then confess some young faithful and, in the evening, will inaugurate a prayer vigil outside the Cathedral.

On Monday 30 November, Pope Francis will begin the final day of his eleventh apostolic trip with a meeting with the Muslim community in the central mosque of Koudoukou in Bangui. After celebrating Mass in the Stadium of the Barthelemy Boganda Sports Complex, he will transfer to “M'Poko” International airport and at 12.30 p.m., following a brief farewell ceremony, he will depart for Rome where he is expected to arrive at Ciampino airport at 6.45 p.m.

Sisters Put Interreligious Dialogue in Action on Predominantly Muslim Island

Global Sisters Report || By Melanie Lidman || 11 October 2015

It was the poverty and sense of isolation that drew the Evangelizing Sisters of Mary to Zanzibar in the first place. But when the violence started, even destroying their own church, it was their commitment to peace that made them stay.

“Many people tried to tell us to come back [to mainland Tanzania]. But we said if we run away, we’re running away from the cross of Christ. How can we leave people here?” said Sr. Yusta Tesha.

Zanzibar is an island off the coast of Tanzania known for pristine beaches at tourist resorts and busy commercial ports. Mainland Tanzania is split evenly between Muslims, Christians and traditional beliefs, while Zanzibar is more than 95 percent Muslim.

Arab traders that plied the coast of Africa throughout history made the island a central hub, and Islam became the dominant religion from their influence. There is a small community of approximately 11,000 Christians on the island of Zanzibar, out of a population of more than 1 million people.

Though relations are generally tolerant, waves of Muslim extremism sometimes sweep through the island, fueled by radical groups who get support and inspiration from international terror groups like Al Qaeda, Al Shabaab and Boko Haram. The spring of 2012, when an angry extremist mob burned the Church of St. Joseph in Stone Town, Zanzibar, was one of these times of heightened tension.

But the sisters remembered the order’s original call, its charism to go to the remotest areas.

“The apostolate in Zanzibar isn’t converting them to Christianity, it’s helping them live as brothers and sisters,” explained Tesha, who has worked in Zanzibar for five years. “What we’re doing in Zanzibar is interreligious dialogue in action. We interact with the Muslims, we try to find the means of helping them, and to live in peaceful coexistence.”

Tesha and the other two sisters in her community spend most of their time doing pastoral work in the community. “We try to teach children about human rights, that they have rights as children, especially girls,” she said. The sisters hold seminars in the communities and local schools, talking about the importance of education for girls as well as the risks of human trafficking. Because Zanzibar is an island, it is a well-used stopover for traffickers bringing victims from mainland Africa to other parts of the world.

Almost all of the seminar participants are Muslim, because that is the makeup of the community. Tesha said it took years to gain the trust of local leaders. “If you want to talk to women, men will come too,” she said. “They thought we wanted to convert them to our religion. But we’re not about changing their religion, we’re about helping women to live a better life in this society.”

Tesha noted that in the conservative society of Zanzibar, women were sometimes confined to their homes.

“It was challenging at first, but as time went on and they saw that we’re not talking about religion, the men left us and let us talk,” she said. She also noticed that the local Muslim community seemed to trust sisters more than priests. “For us religious women, they really appreciate what we do, they really see we’re there to help,” she said. “The women are coming out slowly but surely.”

Zanzibar, which became independent in 1963, was incorporated into Tanzania in 1964 following the mainland's independence in 1961. The name of the country is a combination of the words Tanganyika, the indigenous name of mainland Tanzania, and Zanzibar. Zanzibar has its own president and parliament. But tensions between the mainland and the island have existed since unification, with Zanzibarians claiming they do not get a fair share of government resources and support.

The island is a popular destination for tourists who enjoy white sandy beaches ringed with palm trees that rival any Caribbean island. But tourism’s economic boost has not trickled down to the majority of the residents, who struggle to make ends meet as subsistence farmers or fishermen. The widespread poverty also makes it a fertile ground for extremists, who appeal to disenchanted, unemployed youth.

The radical Muslim group Uamsho, “The Awakening” in Swahili, champions secession from mainland Tanganyika and imposing Sharia law in Zanzibar. In 2011 and 2012, as Tanzania was in the middle of a constitutional review (the country still has not approved a new constitution), protests fueled by Uamsho and radical politicians agitated for a referendum on Zanzibar’s secession.

The political situation riled up young people, who engaged in violent attacks against Christians and even a moderate Muslim cleric, Mufti secretary Sheikh Fadhil Suleiman Soraga.

Extremist violence

It was the middle of the night on May 18, 2012, when 100 angry young people surrounded the Church of St. Joseph in Stone Town, Zanzibar, armed with stones and petrol. As three terrified Evangelizing Sisters of Mary huddled behind a locked door in the house in the same compound, the rioters smashed through the door of the recently constructed church. They smashed windows and doors, doused everything with gasoline and set it ablaze. Someone pounded on the door of the house where the sisters lived, admonishing them to come out, but they stayed locked inside.

For three months after the arson attack, the sisters tried to avoid leaving their house as the situation cooled. A guard came to patrol at night.

Violence spread to the mainland that October, when a Christian boy allegedly urinated on a Quran. Rioters in Dar es Salaam vandalized and burned five churches. Police eventually arrested more than 100 people.

On Christmas Day in 2012, extremists shot Fr. Ambrose Mkenda, who survived. The violence against Catholics continued into February 2013, when extremists fatally shot Fr. Evarist Mushi as he was about to enter a church to say Mass.  

Attacks continued. On Aug. 7, men on a moped threw a jerry can full of acid at two British tourists and volunteers from Britain walking to dinner in Stone Town. A few weeks later, extremists threw acid in the face of Fr. Anselm Mwang'amba, as he exited an internet café in Stone Town. Tanzanian police eventually arrested 15 people in connection with the acid attacks, some associated with terrorism group Al Shabaab.

The attack against the tourists attracted the attention of the government, because tourism is such an essential part of the island’s economy. Eventually, influential Muslim religious leaders in Zanzibar called for calm, and the situation has been quieter for the past two years. 

Staying in Zanzibar

Today, Tesha and the other sisters continue their pastoral work in the slums of Stone Town while wearing their habits, which makes them easy to spot. But she said they refuse to back down or take off their veils.

“If we were to leave, we should have left in 2011 when things first started becoming a bit serious,” she said. “But we said, these are people of God, they also need encouragement. Christians are encouraged to stay there because of our presence.”

The Catholic community in Zanzibar is not well off, but they united in the face of the church’s destruction. During the Sunday collections, they eventually gathered enough money to rebuild St Joseph’s. Today, a new church stands in the same location.

The sisters take precautions, such as listening to suggestions from local leaders about places to avoid or traveling by car from place to place instead of by foot. “We try not to go alone anywhere or find ourselves backed into corners,” Tesha said. 

But the Evangelizing Sisters of Mary will continue their mission in Zanzibar, just as they feel called to remote and inhospitable locations across Africa.

“There are people living there, you have to share their sufferings because they didn’t choose to be in that situation,”Tesha said. “Where there’s a need, someone has to go. Once you’re asked to go, you can’t say no. You can’t always go to places where there is peace and harmony.”

[Melanie Lidman is Middle East and Africa correspondent for Global Sisters Report based in Israel.]

Catholic Bishops in Ghana Call for Credible Voters’ Register

CANAA || By Damian Avevor, Accra || 15 October 2015

The members of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) have called on Ghana’s Electoral Commission to make every effort to register all citizens of Ghana who have attained 18 years and above and are of sound mind, resident or ordinarily resident in an electoral area and not prohibited from registering as a voter.

In a Press Statement on October 12, 2015 on the State of Voter’s Register, the Bishops noted that “the necessary resources and logistics should be made available by the Government to the Electoral Commission, so that it can be sufficiently equipped for the task of updating the Voters’ Register and make it worthy of confidence.”

The Statement was signed by GCBC President, Bishop Joseph Osei-Bonsu.

While acknowledging the prospects and challenges that go with having a genuine Voters’ Register, the Bishops recommended to the Electoral Commission, the Political Parties and other stakeholders to jointly guarantee and safeguard the process of registering persons qualified for voting for the 2016 General Elections.

The current Voters’ Register was compiled in 2012, with the voter population recorded in the register being some 14 million out of a national population of about 25 million (2010 Population Census). Since the exhibition of the Voters’ Register in 2012, many have questioned the credibility of the said register.

Among the concerns raised regarding the current Register are the registration of minors as voters, the voter population for the Presidential Elections being greater than the voter population for Parliamentary elections, the registration of aliens as voters in Ghana’s elections and the high number of registered voters relative to the current population of Ghana.

The Bishops noted that “the allegations of over 76,000 names of persons from neighbouring countries discovered in the current register must be investigated and the proper process be conducted if the allegations are found to be true. If this and other allegations are found to be true, it will be necessary to have a new Voters’ Register to enable people to have confidence in the electoral process.”

The Bishops advocated for civic education, calling on the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to be resourced to educate the citizenry on the qualification of voters.

“It is our hope and prayer that all stakeholders, but most especially, political parties that have been contacted to present inputs into the exercise will be honest and truthful in their contributions in order to enable the Electoral Commission to conduct a fair, transparent and honest exercise to win the confidence of the Ghanaian public in the Register and the electoral process as a whole,” the Bishops observed.

In the process of updating the Voters’ Register, the Bishops urged the Electoral Commission not to disregard the calls to avoid the registration of minors and non-Ghanaian citizens, to use qualified and adequately trained personnel for the registration process and to ensure transparent identification and verification of eligible and registered voters.

New Bishop Appointed in Malawi, Auxiliary Bishop in Tanzania Promoted

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 15 October 2015

Pope Francis on Thursday, October 15, appointed Father George Desmond Tambala as the new Bishop of Zomba diocese in Malawi and promoted Bishop Titus Joseph Mdoe, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Dar-Es-Salaam, to become the Bishop of Mtwara diocese in Tanzania.

Father Tambala, a member of the Discalced Carmelites (OCD), is a native of Zomba diocese, where he was born on November 11, 1968.

He attended his Primary School in Ulongwe, went to Child Jesus Minor Seminary (Nankhunda) in Zomba and joined the Community of the Discalced Carmelites in 1990, completing his two-year philosophical studies at the Inter-Congregational Balaka Seminary in Malawi.

The Bishop-elect is an alumnus of Tangaza University College in Nairobi, Kenya, where he completed his theological studies and later ordained a priest on 13 April 1996.

According to Agenzia Fides, the bishop-elect has held the following pastoral and academic roles: 1996-1998: Assistant priest in Kapiri, in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, Malawi; 1998-2000: Studies in Spain (Avila and Vitoria) for a Licentiate in Theology; 2000-2002: Master of Postulants and professor of Spirituality at the Inter-Congregational Seminary in Balaka; 2002-2008: Superior and Provincial Delegate at the Discalced Carmelites in Malawi and Vice-director of the St. John of the Cross Spirituality Center in Nyungwe-Blantyre; 2009-2015: Definitor of the PP. Discalced Carmelites, in charge of Africa and Madagascar. Since 2015 Definitor of the PP. Discalced Carmelites. He was President of the Association of Major Superiors of Malawi.

Archbishop Thomas Msusa of Blantyre was the Bishop of Zomba diocese from April 2004 to November 2013 when he was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Blantyre.

In May 2015, the Holy Father appointed Archbishop Msusa as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Zomba following the death of the Diocesan Administrator, Father Peter Kaleso, who “died after short illness at Blantyre Adventist Hospital on 13th May 2015,” as the Episcopal Conference of Malawi reported on its website.

According to Vatican Information Service, the diocese of Zomba has a population of 822,450, 232,976 Catholics, 42 priests and 81religious.

Meanwhile, Auxiliary Bishop Titus Joseph Mdoe of Dar-Es-Salaam is the new Bishop of Mtwara diocese in Tanzania.

Bishop Mdoe will be succeeding Bishop Gabriel Mmole, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese was accepted by the Holy Father upon reaching the age limit.

Mtwara diocese has a population of 884,000, 75,800 Catholics, 41 priests and 306 religious as reported by Vatican Information Service.

Church Leaders Appeal for Contributions Ahead of Pope Francis’ Maiden Visit to Africa

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 15 October 2015

Church leaders in the three African countries preparing to receive Pope Francis are appealing for contributions to assist cover the costs involved in hosting the leader of the estimated 1.2 billion Roman Catholics worldwide.

Pope Francis is scheduled to visit capital cities of Kenya, Uganda, and the Central African Republic (CAR) next month, from November 25 to November 30.

Central African Republic

Church leaders, through the subcommittee for finances, have asked for contributions, including financial, to help realize the hosting of the Holy Father, thirty years since the country was previously visited by Pope John Paul II in August 1985.

In a letter stamped by the Committee on Economic Affairs for the Holy Father’s visit and uploaded on the website of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of CAR, the Church leaders ask the laity to join make their contributions.

“You are therefore invited to join us by your contribution, the kind you can manage, to help facilitate the organization of this vitally important event in our Church, which has also experienced challenges in the recent years,” the letter states.

The letter begins by recalling the challenges the country has witnessed, acknowledging the closeness of the Holy Father to the citizens of CAR.

“The various crises in recent years that have shaken our country, the Central African Republic, have tremendously upset peace and social cohesion. Pope Francis has not remained indifferent to what has happened to us,” Church leaders in CAR affirm and add that the Holy Father “has decided to visit our country to sympathize with us and to pray with us, so that the Lord may grant us his blessing and help us out of this huge crisis in a more permanent way.”

Let us thank the Lord for this divine grace (of receiving the Pope in our midst again) and prepare ourselves accordingly.

In an interview with Vatican Radio on Tuesday, Fr. Jésus – Mortiol Demele who is the Director of the Church owned Notre-Dame Radio in Bangui and one of the organizers of the Pope’s visit to CAR was quoted as saying, “We are looking forward to receiving Pope Francis in the Central African Republic (CAR). We hope that everything will work well and the Pope can come to CAR. This visit will bring peace and hope to all the people of CAR and to neighbouring countries,”

He said that the security situation in Bangui had improved and that “people are trying to get on with their lives in spite of the significant setback to peace that took place towards the end of September.”

Kenya

In a letter addressed to “all Priests and Heads of Institutions” of the Archdiocese of Nairobi, the Archbishop of Nairobi, John Cardinal Njue appealed for generous contributions “to assist in meeting the costs of the visit of the Holy Father.”

Dated October 2, 2015, the letter was to “be read in all places where the faithful congregate for liturgical celebrations for the next four Sundays beginning on the 4^th October 2015.”

“I request that on the 25^th of October 2015 a special collection shall be done which shall be a contribution towards meeting the costs of the visit,” Cardinal Njue appealed, instructing parishes “to remit the funds to the Archdiocese no later than the 30^th of October 2015.”

“In addition to the special collection, we will be appealing to individuals to make further personal donations,” the Cardinal indicated.

“The Archdiocese of Nairobi is privileged to physically hosting the Holy Father during his stay in Kenya,” Cardinal Njue observed adding, “I therefore urge you all to demonstrate that hospitality and generosity which you have always displayed in the past.”

Last week, the Chairman of the Liturgical Commission of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), Bishop Dominic Kimengich of Lodwar diocese told a local television station: “If we are expecting about a million people (for the open mass), we do not have a place now where it can accommodate all that so, the place which has been chosen will carry almost half (of that number). May be there will be screens for others to (follow) the papal mass.”

Uganda

On September 28, the Secretary General of Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC), Msgr. John Kauta, issued a two-point press statement on souvenir items ahead of the Pope’s visit.

“All images of the Holy Father have to be approved by the Holy See through the Uganda Episcopal Conference UEC),” the first point indicated.

The second point read, “All intending producers of items have to be approved by UEC through the office of the Secretary General at the Uganda Catholic Secretariat (UCS) at Nsambya Hill.”

Meanwhile, in a letter signed by the Chairman of Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC), Archbishop John Baptist Odama, the Bishops in Uganda have asked the Catholics to prepare spiritually as the country makes arrangements to host the Holy Father.

In the letter, Archbishop Odama stated, “Specific indications and directives will be issued at national and diocesan level.”

“In conclusion, we continue to pray that the visit of the Holy Father provides us with the opportunity of growth, renewal, rededication and re-invigoration of our faith,” Archbishop Odama wrote on behalf of the Catholic Bishops in Uganda.

Comboni Sisters’ Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Initiative On South Sudan Crisis Updates

CANAA || By Sr. Anna Gastaldello, CMS, South Sudan || 12 October 2015

Last Saturday, October 10, the Church in Sudan and South Sudan – and in other parts of the world – celebrated the feast of St. Daniel Comboni who founded Christianity in that land.

Daniel Comboni died at the age of 50, leaving behind him a small seed that has grown along these 134 years into a beautiful and fruitful tree: the African Church.

Comboni left behind a legacy of total commitment to the integral evangelization of the African people, believing that only Jesus Christ can bring a real liberation/salvation from every kind of slavery.

Entrusting to his intercession the country of South Sudan in this difficult time of peacebuilding, below are some updates of the ongoing crisis in the country by the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) of the Comboni Sisters.

White House

Last week the United States cancelled a meeting with South Sudanese leaders at the White House over concerns on the implementation of the peace deal, with Dr Riek Machar unwilling to make compromises in the security sector, and James Wani because of the government’s decision to create more states.

On October 2, President Kiir Mayardit issued a Presidential decree creating 18 new States. In the decree, (number 36/2015) establishing the 28 new states, President Kiir said his decision was guided by South Sudan’s Transitional Constitution.

He also said that the decision was motivated by the need to decentralize power, placing resources closer to the rural population while at the same time reducing the size of the national government.

On October 7, 2015, the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with South Sudanese government officials and opposition leaders in Washington and urged the latter to return to the South Sudanese capital Juba.

The 'Liberation Council' of South Sudanese rebel group SPLM/A-IO will soon convene a meeting at its Pagak headquarters to select an advance team that will travel to South Sudan’s capital Juba in late October, a rebel official said.

UNMISS

On October 10, 2015, the Security Council extended for two months the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), urging inclusive dialogue towards lasting peace. The resolution passed with the support of the majority of Council members, with Russia and Venezuela abstaining from the vote.

The Council passed a resolution giving its peacekeeping mission in South Sudan new powers to participate in the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission set up as part of South Sudan's new peace agreement and to support the ceasefire monitoring teams currently headed by the regional body IGAD.

Western Equatoria

Authorities in Western Equatoria state have accused South Sudan army (SPLA) in Mundri West county of killing civilians and burning houses, forcing local populations to flee to the bush. This happened on Wednesday night, October 7, 2015.

SPLA sources told Radio Tamazuj that they suspected the presence of an armed group in the area led by former Mundri East county commissioner, January Joni, which launched attacks and dislodged SPLA forces, capturing light weapons, ammunition and supplies, until the arrival of SPLA reinforcements.

Other military contacts reported that helicopter gunships attacks on the area were ordered by the SPLA general chief of staff, Paul Malong Awan, who was angered by the setbacks suffered by SPLA troops at the hands of the unnamed armed group.

The humanitarian situation in Mundri is deteriorating; the population have been on the run for a week.

Withdrawal of Uganda army from South Sudan

Following the peace agreement signed in August in Addis Ababa by South Sudan’s warring factions, the Permanent Secretary in the Ugandan Foreign Affairs Ministry, Amb. James Mugume has Monday afternoon, October 12, 2015, announced that UPDF is now withdrawing from South Sudan.

According to the UPDF Chief of the Defence Forces, Gen Katumba Wamala, UPDF have finalized withdrawal preparations and within the shortest time possible the troops whose number ranges from between 2,000 to 3,000 will be leaving the country.

Ambassador Mugume said the deployment in South Sudan after the war broke out in December 2013 was of great benefit to both the country and the region at large.

“It helped stop what was likely to be the worst genocide in the region. Although thousands had already been massacred in the town of Bor, our intervention and the subsequent capture of the town halted the massacres,” he said.

“We were able to secure Juba airport and other strategic installations as well as guarantying safety of entry and exit for foreigners and nationals alike. This has ensured that South Sudan remains linked to the region and the wider international community.”

He however pointed out that the withdrawing of all their units – infantry, armoury and artillery – from South Sudan will be gradual.

On the losses incurred since they deployed in South Sudan, Katumba said Uganda lost 9 soldiers in December during their confrontation with the Machar’s troops who were retreating from Bor.

“There was no extra expenditure as the soldiers received facilities including food and salaries as they would be here in Uganda and no more cost. For the fuel used, we had an agreement where the South Sudan government was catering for that.”

However, in the 2015/16 Budget, the Ministry of Defense was allocated Shs 16.5bn additional fund for South Sudan operation. (Chimpreports)

The SPLA Spokesperson says the Ugandan troops will not withdraw from South Sudan until the SPLM in Opposition signs minutes of a security workshop held in Addis Ababa in September. The workshop was conducted by IGAD to discuss transitional security and permanent ceasefire arrangements. The government and the political detainees signed the agreement made in the workshop, but the SPLM-In Opposition declined. (Eye Radio).

Secretaries General and Vice Chancellors in AMECEA Evaluate Capacity Building Initiative

CANAA || By Makeda Yohannes, Addis Ababa || 12 October 2015

Secretaries General and Vice Chancellors of Catholic Universities in the territory of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) met from October 8 – 9, 2015 in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, to evaluate the first phase of the Capacity Building program, which started in 2012.

Funded by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and coordinated by AMECEA Secretariat, the program offers training in leadership and management facilitated by the respective Bishops’ Conferences and Catholic Universities in collaboration with the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA).

According to report presented by the Coordinator of the project, Christine Mbugi, all the Conferences in the region except Eritrea have participated in the trainings.

“All the conferences have been keen in taking part in these trainings and also contributing in the success of the sessions. This shows us the value of the trainings to the local Churches,” said Ms. Mbugi.

In the discussion that ensued, participants suggested that a more organized link between the secretariats and the Catholic Universities could bring about even better results for the second phase of the project.

The communication gap between organizers and the local Churches was also identified as a major challenge in implementation that needs to be addressed.

The secretaries general and vice chancellors also agreed on the importance of encouraging more Church structures to take part in the capacity building trainings to achieve the goal of strengthening the local Churches and serving the people better.

The participants further decided that national Conferences of Bishops in the region should plan on how to maintain the sustainability of the project independently in order to ensure a significant number of pastoral agents receive the necessary training needed for them to move forward.

Father Hagos Hayish, C.M., Secretary General of the Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat, said that after the training session in Ethiopia the Secretariat was able to identify some of the challenges the local Church was facing and as a result was able to build on existing merits.

“The challenges were addressed and the Church in Ethiopia could claim to have benefited from the training,” Father Hagos said.

Other Bishops’ Conferences that have taken initiatives after the trainings are Tanzania in strategic pastoral planning, Uganda in peace building management and South Sudan by sending their priests for further studies to CUEA.

The AMECEA Secretary General, Father Ferdinand Lugonzo, said that based on the comments of the participants the implementation of the second phase of the project would address the challenges on the ground for maximum results.

Father Lugonzo also announced that the theme of the second phase of the project that is to take place between 2016 and 2018 would be: “Family Apostolate, Youth Ministry and Chaplaincy.”

During their stay in Ethiopia, the Secretaries Generals and Vice Chancellors visited the Metals and Engineering Corporation in Bishoftu town.

They also planted trees at the Catholic University of St. Thomas Aquinas as a way of recalling the occasion.

Nobel Peace Prize 2015 to North African Civil Society Organizations Considered Value of Dialogue and Collaboration

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 12 October 2015

The value of dialogue spearheaded by a group of four (quartet) Tunisian civil society organizations in the country’s democratization process and the collaboration between these organizations, which consisted of Islamist and secular political movements, were vitally important considerations in selecting the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2015.

On Friday, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee declared the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet the winner of the prestigious annual award, which comes with a $1 million cash reward.

There had been 273 candidates for the Peace Prize, with Pope Francis mentioned among possible winners, which would have made him the first Pope in history to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

The role of the Pope in bringing together Cuban and American negotiators that resulted in a warming in relations between the two Cold War rivals was cited as a key justification for the Pope’s candidacy.

Formed in the summer of 2013 when the process of democratization in Tunisia risked collapse amidst political assassinations and extensive social unrest, the four organizations that were collectively awarded the prize include the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA), the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH) and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers.

“The Nobel Peace Prize for 2015 is awarded to this Quartet, not to the four individual organizations as such,” The Nobel Prize Committee clarified on its official website.

The Quartet made concerted efforts to support the activities of the constituent assembly and facilitated the securing of the constitutional process among the Tunisians, resulting in peaceful and democratic elections last autumn.

These organizations also facilitated a peaceful dialogue between the citizens in Tunisia, the political parties as well as the Tunisian authorities, enabling the finding of consensus-based solutions to the variety of challenges that the country was facing across political and religious divides.

According to the communique about Nobel Peace Prize 2015, the initiatives and activities of the four organizations serve to demonstrate “that Islamist and secular political movements can work together to achieve significant results in the country's best interests.”

The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet was recognized "for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011."

The transition witnessed in Tunisia under the auspices of the Quartet goes further to show “that civil society institutions and organizations can play a crucial role in a country’s democratization, and that such a process, even under difficult circumstances, can lead to free elections and the peaceful transfer of power.”

The Quartet put in place an alternative and peaceful political process, averting a civil war by facilitating the establishment of a constitutional system of government, which guaranteed fundamental rights of all Tunisians in their diversity (gender, political affiliation, religious beliefs, etc.)

Efforts toward democracy and fundamental human rights have not been as successful in other countries in North Africa and the Middle East, where the Arab Spring spread after having originated in Tunisia in 2010-2011.

Nobel Peace Prize was created by the Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel in recognition of the contribution to peace by researchers, authors and peace advocates, including initiatives and activities toward fraternity between nations, abolition or reduction of standing armies and facilitating the holding of peace congresses.

“The Norwegian Nobel Committee hopes that this year's prize will contribute towards safeguarding democracy in Tunisia and be an inspiration to all those who seek to promote peace and democracy in the Middle East, North Africa and the rest of the world,” the communique on the Nobel Peace Prize has it in conclusion, and adds, “More than anything, the prize is intended as an encouragement to the Tunisian people, who despite major challenges have laid the groundwork for a national fraternity which the Committee hopes will serve as an example to be followed by other countries.”

Another Church personality mentioned as a possible winner of the prize had been the Vatican-based Eritrean priest, Father Mussie Zerai following his initiative to set up a hotline for refugees from his country making the precarious journey to Europe.

Other Nobel Peace Prize front runners included German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for her readiness to accept refugees, and US Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, for facilitating a deal on Iran’s nuclear program.

Malawi Archbishop: Africans at Synod Sharing Same Message of Proud Heritage

National Catholic Reporter || By Joshua J. McElwee || 12 October 2015

The 48 prelates from Africa attending the worldwide meeting of Catholic bishops on family are widely working together to bring a similar message to the discussions focused on sharing their lived experience on the continent, Malawi's representative to the meeting has said.

“We are bringing the same message," said Archbishop Thomas Msusa, head of the Blantyre archdiocese and vice chairman of east Africa's regional bishops' conference. "Let us live proudly the heritage of what we have received: the Christian family."

"Challenges are there," said Msusa. "We have to find pastoral responses to the challenges."

"We have -- as bishops, priests, religious -- to be close to our people," said the archbishop. "We should not be foreign because we belong to family."

"We should be so close to our people," he said. "The example is our pope. People would like to touch him. That’s what even our laypeople want. They want to see us, they want to see us teaching. They want to see us be close to the family, just to encourage them."

Msusa, whose archdiocese is near Malawi's southern border with Mozambique, was speaking in an NCR interview Thursday on the sidelines of the Oct. 4-25 Synod of Bishops.

The interview also saw the archbishop speak about his own remarks to the synod meeting, how he sees the question of whether the church should use more inclusionary language towards gay people, and his hopes for Pope Francis' November visit to three African countries.

Besides leading his own archdiocese, Msusa, 53, is vice chairman of the eight-country Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa. He is also a member of the Missionaries of the Company of Mary, commonly known as the Montfort Missionaries, and a convert to Catholicism from Islam.

The archbishop said he had used his 3-minute speech to the some 270 prelates gathered at the synod to address the question of young people who are afraid of the commitment of marriage.

“For us, in Malawi, we see it as normal," said Msusa. "Even the bishops and the priests, when they are supposed to be ordained there is also fear."

"Even when you are appointed bishop, there is also fear," said the archbishop. "Sometimes, even, you refuse. This is a normal reaction because they know that marriage and family life is a commitment."

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Celebrating an Ethiopian and Eritrean Small Christian Community (SCC) in South Africa

CANAA || By Hailu Adalo, Johannesburg, South Africa || 08 October 2015

The Ethiopian and Eritrean SCC was founded by some faithful Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant Catholics in St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Johannesburg Archdiocese, South Africa in 2000. These first Eastern Africans met after a Sunday Mass celebration and recognized their similar physical appearances. After talking with each other they continued sharing information about Ethiopians and Eritreans coming into South Africa as immigrant and migrants especially Catholics. During two years of attending Parish Mass Celebrations they had contact with an Eritrean Franciscan Capuchin Priest and Ethiopian Seminarians from Pretoria.

The group came together to participate in masses, Bible Sharing and meetings in the Parish Hall. They agreed to invite an Ethiopian Permanent Deacon to visit them and celebrate his son’s marriage ceremony in 2003. This was a good opportunity to see new members especially in the parish and give some diocesan members an opportunity to know about the Catholic gathering.

This small group continued in faith and courage in its ongoing formation in the same parish in Johannesburg. They invited an Ethiopian Lazarist Priest to lead their second retreat and conduct the marriage of two couples in 2004. The faithful members continue to welcome new comers from both Ethiopia and Eritrea. They invited the Ethiopian Deacon for the second time for formation and to perform the marriage of one of the couples in 2005.

Before going back to Ethiopia the deacon advised the community to elect group leaders to promote the spiritual support of the small community. Some group members moved from Johannesburg City for lack of work while others were granted resettlement opportunities in England, Australia and Canada. In addition some group members including leaders changed from the Catholic Church by marriage and language to the Ethiopian Pentecostal Churches. As the last step before me, a faithful student came from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at end of 2006 and met with the first group leaders. From there they elected new group leaders to organize with him this small group at same parish. Before he went back home, I arrived to South Africa.

Responding to the request to animate this group, I heard from the Ethiopian Deacon the concern about the spiritual challenges in a foreign land to continue in faith and the native languages. There was the great issue for some members to understand the local languages in attending Sunday masses. I started with this Small Christian Community a spiritual journey at the end of 2006.

November, 2006 in the Diocese of Tazneen was my first arrival place in South Africa because my elder brother lived there. In that beginning I met some our diocesan Catholics and I had started with them weekly prayer and Bible Sharing in the some of the members’ houses. I traveled with my brother when he went to the Free State Bethlehem Province looking for work. In the beginning of January, 2007 I was invited to lead some of our Diocesan Wedding Celebrations with another preacher. In the Bethlehem I participated attentively in the Catholic Parish.

At the end of 2007 I have moved to the Diocese of Rustenburg where I meet a few Catholic members and continued with them to attend mass. From there I conducted services with the Johannesburg group members by traveling every month to the end of 2008. A diocesan priest came to attend a workshop in Johannesburg. We arranged for him to meet with us and celebrate mass. He celebrated two masses in the parish in October, 2008 and helped us to welcome new comers. When he went back to Ethiopia he informed the Archbishop of Addis Ababa about our challenges.

After some quite time I have received news of the Archbishop of Addis Ababa’s visit. He came to attend the Episcopal Ordination of his friend in Archdiocese of Pretoria. After that he communicated with me to see our group. I contacted the Johannesburg group leaders and I arranged with the St. Francis of Assisi Parish Priest to welcome him for mass. The archbishop celebrated the parish mass and after mass he met with our SCC in the Parish Hall on 1 February, 2009. That moment encouraged me to continue this ministry with immigrant brothers and sisters in South Africa. The archbishop gave me great advice, counseling and prayers because I took the opportunity to stay with him from Friday evening until Sunday at his congregation’s house in Johannesburg.

The Ethiopian and Eritrean SCCs members today are organized in various diocesan parishes e.g. Archdiocese of Johannesburg, Archdiocese of Pretoria, Diocese of Rustenburg, Diocese of Port Elizabeth, Diocese of Keimoes-Upington, Diocese of Dundee, Diocese of Klerksdorp, Diocese of Tazneen and some families in the Archdiocese of Durban.

I was commissioned as an Acolyte on 8 June, 2014 by the Archbishop of Pretoria to take up this ministry with the Ethiopian and Eritrean SCC in South Africa. Two photographs of our community are below.

The special training that I have received during the Lumko East Africa SCCs Workshop (Waumini Pastoral Program) at Mary Ward Centre, Nairobi, Kenya from Monday, 7 September to Saturday, 3 October, 2015 has been very helpful. The overall theme was “Towards Communion of Communities.” I now return to South Africa with new insights and ideas for building this new way of becoming church.

Evangelist and Acolyte Hailu Adalo

Johannesburg, South Africa

Email: [email protected]

Bishops in Uganda Ask Catholics to ‘undertake appropriate spiritual preparation’ Ahead of Pope’s Visit

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 08 October 2015

The Bishops in Uganda have asked the Catholics to prepare spiritually as the country makes arrangements to host the Holy Father next month.

In a letter signed by the Chairman of Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC), Archbishop John Baptist Odama, the Bishops describe the planned visit by Pope Francis as “a privilege.”

“Uganda is a blessed land! Pope Francis will be the third Supreme Pontiff to visit us. No other country in Africa has had such a privilege,” the Bishops state at the beginning of their letter.

“The Pope's visit and presence during the celebrations requires us to prepare in a special way,” the Bishops maintain and add, “Therefore, all Catholics are called to undertake appropriate spiritual preparation.”

Below is the full text of the Bishops’ message.

Message of the Catholic Bishops of Uganda

on the Occasion of the Visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Uganda,

27th-29th November, 2015

Theme: You Will be My Witnesses [Acts 1:8]

Uganda is a blessed land! Pope Francis will be the third Supreme Pontiff to visit us. No other country in Africa has had such a privilege. The Holy Father is coming to celebrate with us the 50th Anniversary of the canonization of the Uganda Martyrs, whose blood has been the seed of Christianity in our country. They laid down their lives as an example that remains to encourage all of us on our spiritual journey.

The Pope's visit and presence during the celebrations requires us to prepare in a special way. The nature of this visit is primarily pastoral and spiritual. Coming to us, Pope Francis is carrying out the mission entrusted to Peter by Jesus: "...but I have prayed that your faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers (Lk 22:32).

Therefore, all Catholics are called to undertake appropriate spiritual preparation. Specific indications and directives will be issued at national and diocesan level. As a common gesture which will unite us all in prayer, we ask that before the final blessing of every Mass, as well as in our daily personal, family or community prayer, we recite one 'Our Father', 'Hail Mary' and 'Glory be to the Father....7 for the intentions of the Pope and the success of his visit.

Furthermore, we call upon you to do acts of charity towards the poor and to practice works of penance so that we can receive the Papal blessing in a worthy manner. Most importantly, let us make every effort to reconcile and love one another as Christ has loved us (Jn 13:34).

As we look forward to the visit of the Holy Father, let us pray for spiritual renewal while gratefully emphasizing the blessings, which include the gift of the Uganda Martyrs and the sacrifice of the missionaries. Uganda presents one of the most remarkable stories in the history of Christian faith and martyrdom. At the start of the 20th Century, there were barely ten thousand Catholics within our borders. Today, approximately fifteen million Ugandans are Catholics.

The Church in Uganda is vibrant and known for its contribution to the social transformation of our country. Since the advent of Catholicism in Uganda in the early 19th Century, it has provided health services and education to the poor and rich alike. The Church has constructed hospitals and other health facilities, schools and homes for persons with disabilities, and has set up many socio-economic programmes for the improvement of the lives of the people. As we reflect on the above achievements, we need to ask ourselves what our individual contributions have been (Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church: 1 Iff).

Conversely, we are beset by challenges to which we, as Church, need to pay particular attention as we await the visit of His Holiness the Pope. We draw your attention to the alarming gap and contradictions between the faith we profess and the life we live, between the gospel and some traditional African practices such as polygamy, cohabitation, trial marriage, witchcraft and human sacrifice. While many Catholics recognize the sacredness of marriage, many are non-compliant to the demands of Christian marriage.

The family is also affected by infidelity, denial of mutual love, domestic violence, underage marriage, poor communication among spouses, excessive dowry, child abuse, poverty, alcoholism and diseases, especially HIV/AIDS. Some of these problems were alluded to in the Apostolic Exhortations "The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World", "The Church in Africa as Family of God", and "Africa's Commitment". Before the Holy Father comes, we are challenged to recommit ourselves to promoting the values and sanctity of marriage and the family, and to rebuilding the moral vibre of our country.

The Uganda Martyrs are an ideal example of what is required of us to live the faith within the family and the Church. Some of the Martyrs had been married traditionally but chose to denounce polygamy and embrace monogamy in line with Christian teaching.

During his visit to Uganda in 1969, Blessed Pope Paul VI called upon Africans to be missionaries to themselves. In order to realize this dream we must cultivate profound knowledge of our Church and the faith. There is, thus, need to ask ourselves whether this statement is applicable to us today and how much we are doing to share our faith with one another. In Is.52:7 we read: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings Glad Tidings...." This is reechoed in Rom.10:15. Similarly, in Mt.5:13-16, Christ has commanded us, his followers, to influence the world: "You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world...." In the same spirit, we invite you to re-read our Pastoral Letter, "Let Your Light Shine", issued in 1993.

In his first letter, St. Peter (2:9) calls us the chosen race, a royal priesthood and a holy people, and counsels us on the life of the Christian in the world (lPt. 2:11-4: 14). Similarly, in his writings (cf. Gal.5:22, IThes 4:1-12, Rom. 13:13-14), St. Paul repeatedly calls us to holiness and life in the spirit, characterized by love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness and faithfulness. It is life which, in no way, is compatible with corruption, immorality, impurity, sorcery and witchcraft, permissiveness, idolatry, hatred, jealousy, adultery, fornication, injustice, violence, abuse of human rights, fury and selfishness. Yet, these vices are rampart in our country today.

As we prepare for the visit of the Pope, we recommend deeper reflection on the Social teaching of the Church. Together with him we need to embrace and advocate for the preferential option for the poor, and to proclaim and witness to the gospel of justice and holiness in our daily interactions. Most importantly, in a country like ours where unity and national consensus has eluded us for decades, the Pope comes as a bridge builder. His visit provides yet another golden opportunity for us Ugandans to be instruments of unity, peace and reconciliation in the family, and among the various religious, cultural and political groups. This demands of us to imitate Christ who came to serve rather than to be served, it invites us to be servants to one another (cf. Mk. 10: 42-45, Jn. 13: 12).

Pope Francis' encyclical "Laudato si" should also be an inspiration to us in our relationship with our mother earth. In this encyclical, the Holy Father highlights the dangers and consequences of human behavior on the environment and survival of the human race. Referring to major challenges, such as pollution and irresponsible exploitation of natural resources, the Pontiff calls us to a greater stewardship of the environment.

In conclusion, we continue to pray that the visit of the Holy Father provides us with the opportunity of growth, renewal, rededication and re-invigoration of our faith. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles and Martyrs, St. Joseph and the Martyrs of Uganda intercede for us!

Most Rev John Baptist Odama,

Archbishop of Gulu and

Chairman of Uganda Episcopal Conference.

Solidarity with Migrant Families at the Synod: Archbishop of Asmara, Eritrea

Vatican Radio || By Father Paul Samasumo || 08 October 2015

“As the Pope said recently in the United States, Europe, America and Australia –the developed world should not be afraid of migrants,” says the Eritrean Archbishop of Asmara.

The Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Asmara in Eritrea, Menghesteab Tesfamariam, M.C.C.I. has said that as he attends the Synod on the family, in the Vatican, his thoughts are not only with families in Eritrea but also with many migrant families from Africa and in particular Eritrea now in living in Europe, America and Australia. He says the developed world should not be afraid of migrants.

“As the Pope said recently in the United States, Europe, America and Australia –the developed world should not be afraid of migrants. As countries built on Christian traditions, these nations should instead help migrant families live Christian lives in the best way possible. African families, very religious… they come to Europe and they find a lot of materialism, a lot of indifference, relativism and that is a big challenge for our families. They need special pastoral care from priests, Bishops and other Christian families in Europe so that they can maintain the values that they bring with them from Africa,” Archbishop Menghesteab told the Africa Service of Vatican Radio.

With regard to the challenges of families being discussed during the first week of the Synod of Bishops, the Archbishop of Asmara said he believes that the family as an institution needs protection so that members would be empowered to preserve their faith and make good decisions in their daily lives -decisions that maintain the cohesiveness of the family unit. The Archbishop of Asmara says that he feels encouraged so far that there seems to be willingness among Bishops at the Synod to listen and possibly lend their solidarity to issues facing African migrants and their families.

“We hope at the end, we will come up with a good list of propositions and initiatives that will go towards strengthening the Christian faith of our families as well as Christian love in our families,” Archbishop Menghesteab said.

Ghanaian Archbishop: Africans Not 'blocking' Discussions at Synod

National Catholic Reporter || By Joshua J. McElwee || 08 October 2015

African prelates at the worldwide meeting of Catholic bishops on family are not blocking discussions on sometimes-controversial subjects like the church's stance towards gay people and those who have divorced and remarried, Ghanaian Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle has said.

"It would be difficult for anybody to tell me Africa is blocking anything," said Palmer-Buckle, speaking at a Vatican press conference Thursday.

“We are here to share our view," said the archbishop. "So if somebody should think that Africa is blocking somebody, I think Africa is only proposing what it feels very strongly about."

"We are not here to block anybody," he said. "We are here to share what we have as a value to the greater good of the universal church."

The archbishop was speaking about the Synod of Bishops, an Oct. 4-25 meeting called by Pope Francis that has brought some 270 prelates to Rome to discuss issues of family life.

Palmer-Buckle's comments touch on continuing speculation that there are divisions on certain issues in discussion at the synod based upon the regional background of the different participants.

Among the issues known to be at discussion among the prelates are church practice towards Catholics who divorce and remarry without first obtaining annulments from the church and the possibility of using more inclusive language towards gay people.

Asked about the second issue at the press conference Thursday, the Ghanaian archbishop said that African attitudes towards gay people are changing slowly.

Mentioning Francis' famous 2013 press conference -- in which the pontiff said of gay people: "Who am I to judge them if they're seeking the Lord in good faith?" -- Palmer-Buckle said those words had "huge repercussions" in his country.

"People who are different from us are sons and daughters of God and we have to welcome them and be able to open the doors of the church to them," said the archbishop. "They are human, they have human rights and their human rights and dignity should be respected and upheld."

"We are doing what we can," he said of African responses to homosexuality. "It takes time for individual voices like that to be heard -- when you are dealing especially with something that is culturally difficult for people to understand."

"They have lived with it for millennia," he continued. "Attitudes in Africa towards people who are different has been something that has been there for so long."

"It would be a bit deceptive to think overnight individuals will change their opinion, [that] overnight documents would be written in favor and the rest of it," said Palmer-Buckle.

"I'd say give the countries time to deal with the issues from their own cultural perspectives," he said. "And I'd like you to know that we must underline that the rights of all sons and daughters of God are to be upheld by the church everywhere."

"And we are trying," he continued. "I don't want to say we have reached there. No, no, no -- perfection is not yet something that we have obtained but we are working towards it."

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Malawi Catholic Legislators Attend ICLN Conference in Rome

Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) || By ECM Communications || 05 October 2015

Malawi’s three Members of Parliament (MPs) namely Lingson Belekanyama of Opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Charles Tikhiwa and Gereson Solomoni, all from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party recently participated to the International Catholic Legislators Network (ICLN) Conference held at Villa Tusculana in Rome where among others they also had an audience with the Holy Father, Pope Francis.

Speaking in an interviews upon returning from Rome, Episcopal Conference of Malawi’s (ECM) Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Officer (CPLO) Fr. Henry Chinkanda who was also part of the trip said the conference was crucial to the Malawian Parliamentarians because such meetings are designed to encourage, support and offer fellowship and formation to Catholics in elected offices from all over the world.

“Besides offering a learning opportunity to all participants, a series of issues emanating from the various political situations in the countries discussed,” said Fr. Chinkanda.

He said among others, participants to the conference discussed on several topics including developing a global pro-life strategy to end the culture of abortion, Mass migration in global perspective-root causes and solutions, the risk of genocide of Christian minorities and religious intolerance in some parts of the world and understanding some foreign policies that adversely affect society particularly the poor nations.

“It was gratifying to see over one hundred high-profile Catholic politicians from over thirty countries exchanging views on how best Politicians can be handled as a vocation in the service of God’s people.

One thing was clear that, the politicians that gathered in Rome expressed holy anger at realizing that most of the misery, poverty and wars that adversely affect humanity in the world are caused by bad Politicians,” said Fr. Chinkanda.

He said it is up to the Church to accompany, and form the politicians to have sound conscience that would uphold and respect human life and opt for a culture of life and a culture of death.

During the audience with the Holy Father, Pope Francis in his speech stressed the important role Catholic Politicians can play in shaping the social and economic situation in the world.

“Addressing the audience in Italian, he (Pope) repeated several times saying, Voi potete fare tanto” meaning that politicians can do a lot in working for the common good if only, as leaders, politicians would allow themselves to be inspired by Gospel values,” said Fr. Chinkanda.

The International Catholic Legislators Network Conference takes place once every year and it attracts politicians from all over the world. ICLN is a non-partisan and entirely independent network of Catholics in elected office that have desire to integrate Christian faith and principles with their political responsibilities.

Nigeria: Let me Give Because I Do Not Know for How Long I Shall Live

Vatican Radio || By Gloria Stephen Yariok, MSPP || 04 October 2015

“Let me give because I do not know for how long I will live. But while I live, Lord let me give up my comfort for someone in need, with a smile, a nod, deeds or kind words. Let me do whatever I can to ease the suffering of my neighbour. I want nothing but to do my part and to live for the tired, the weary of heart. If I do all of these, I will not have lived in vain and I will not care for how long I shall live if only I can give and give…” The words of Sr. Oresoa  Selo-Ojeme, founder of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters for the Poorest of the Poor in Nigeria. The congregation is also sometimes called the Anawim Sisters. It was founded in 1995.

Speaking in an interview recently with Vatican Radio, Sr. Oresoa said, her inspiration in founding the Congregation was from an inner desire that haunted her each time she came in contact with the marginalised on the streets of Nigeria. Eventually, she started reaching out to the abandoned, the troubled and the orphaned.

Sr. Oresoa soon realised that she could not take care of the poor alone.  Amazingly a number of ordinary girls were attracted to what she was doing and started to work with her on a voluntary basis and without any inclination to become religious. In 2005 Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the former Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria now in the USA encouraged Sr. Oresoa to discuss her work with Nigeria's Bishop of Kaduna. Eventually, Sr. Oresoa's pastoral apostolate evoved into a new local congregation called the Missionary Sisters for the Poorest of the Poor or the Anawim Sisters as they are sometimes known. 

Talking about what makes the work of the Anawim Sisters different from what other religious congregations are already doing in Nigeria, Sr. Oresoa said that it is not a common sight to see a religious sister ministering to prostitutes around places where they gather such as in hotels or see a religious sister engage a mentally deranged person on the street. This is exactly what the Anawim Sisters are doing in Nigeria. She believes the apostolate of her congregation is restoring dignity to the abandoned and broken hearted of Nigeria and Ghana where Anawim sisters are working. In a way, this is what Pope Francis refers to when speaks of caring for victims of a “culture of waste.”

Commenting on the achievements made so far by the Anawim Sisters in their ministry,  Sr. Oresoa said, “The people in societies where we work want us to continue doing this work because the work we do speaks for itself.”

Asked about challenges in the work of caring for the poor, Sr. Oresoa said finances and personnel remain the biggest challenges because the ministry needs money to empower and rehabilitate the people the Congregation cares for. In terms of future plans, the Anawim Sisters are determined to grow the Congregation because they believe that this is what God has called them to do. Sr. Oresoa urged well-to-do Nigerians to be a little more selfless in giving to the poor and the needy.

For Sr. Oresoa and her sisters, service to the poor is a lifelong calling. The motto of the Congregation is, “To Give.”

Ugandan High Commissioner Appreciates Fostering of Values and Ethics at Nairobi-Based Catholic University

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 05 October 2015

The High Commissioner of Uganda in Kenya, Her Excellency Angelina Wapakhabulo, on Friday lauded the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) for fostering “values and ethics” and expressed deep appreciation to the Nairobi-based institution with various campuses “for championing quality higher education in the region.”

The High Commissioner was speaking at the 32rd graduation ceremony of CUEA, where she was the Chief Guest.

“I am particularly impressed with the fact that CUEA emphasizes values and ethics in its curriculum,” she said and encouraged the University to continue the tradition explaining that the African continent and the world “needs highly qualified professionals who are also deeply immersed in the right values and ethics.”

She encouraged the 1,591 CUEA graduands who were awarded Diplomas and Degrees to nurture the values they were schooled in while at the institution, citing “passion, commitment, tenacity, and a mind open to learning.”

“On my behalf and that of the Ugandan Government, which I represent here, I congratulate The Catholic University of Eastern Africa for championing quality higher education in the region,” the High Commissioner said, adding, “We are proud to be associated with your success. The graduands of this institution are well known for the transformative leadership roles they are playing across the region.”

“Just wanting to do good is not enough - achieving impact is what counts, it is the transformation that society now yearns for,” she continued and explained, “Many Non-Covernmental Organizations pride themselves that they have the key to save everybody else - but by drilling deeper you will be able to differentiate those who are selling their single product (in many cases fear) and those who take responsible action in shaping society by providing true value and which is the category that CUEA graduants belong.”

She went on to challenge CUEA graduands to appreciate the opportunity they have had to be educated at the institution considering that there are many in Africa who have not had the same opportunity because of a different reasons including insecurity and conflict.

“I challenge you because in the end, you all are the ones responsible for changing the narrative about Africa, AMECEA region and your communities. You can do this with every word you speak, every move, and step you make, with every choice you make, with the way you carry yourself each day because by so doing you are rewriting the story of your communities,” the High Commissioner told the graduands.

“Go forth therefore and transform the world in holistic, sustainable ways. Become architects of a better God fearing the future. You can do it and my best wishes are with you,” she said in conclusion before leading the congregation in a Hail Mary, which she termed her favorite prayer.

The Chancellor of CUEA, Berhaneyesus D. Cardinal Souraphiel of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, called on the graduands to demonstrate the leadership skills they received at the institution by fostering unity and striving to “overcome forces of negative ethnicity, poverty, war and environmental degradation.”

“The knowledge you have received in the light of the Catholic tradition should make you committed to the service of the human family by playing a radical transcendental role in the liberative, acculturative and transformative process to achieve wholeness as human persons,” Cardinal Souraphiel told the graduands.

“You have capacity to harness available resources to create peace and unity among people of different nations, languages, colour, religion and cultures. Diversity is what makes the world beautiful,” the Cardinal continued.

He thanked CUEA faculty members for doing the good job “of preparing students for the ever changing world” and called on parents and sponsors of the graduands to continue guiding and supporting them “now that they are getting into the wider world.”

The Cardinal who is also the Chairman of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) further encouraged the graduands “to share in the AMECEA vision of cooperation and unity, of standing out as one family of God even as you embark on the enormous task of employment or further studies.”

“On behalf of the AMECEA Bishops and indeed on my own behalf, I once more congratulate the class of 2015 and very sincerely thank the Vice Chancellor and the University fraternity for their commitment to the life and development of CUEA. You have kept alive the vision and mission of the university,” the Cardinal said in conclusion.

Addressing the same gathering, the Chairman of CUEA Council, Bishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba expressed the hope that the graduands, joining “the CUEA alma mater” will “continue to grow it in terms of quality, excellence, relevance and capacity to serve.”

“At this juncture, I request the CUEA Academic community to pursue the crucial intellectual subject of Curriculum Transformation, Bishop Muhatia said, adding, “The products of the University system need to be more innovative; not job seekers but job creators, not conformists but reformists and not a problem but a solution to the society. The University is not an ivory tower; but a pillar in the transformation of society.”

On his part, CUEA Vice Chancellor, Msgr. Pius Rutechura encouraged the graduands to live up to their leadership responsibilities saying, “You will no doubt face insoluble challenges, but I hope that you shall encounter the unimaginable adventures that lie before you with the same strength and intelligence, with the same moral courage, with the same pleasure and delight, that you displayed during your time here among us.”

“Keep your trust in the Lord as the only source of all that is good. Go forth and transform the world and remember that CUEA shall always remain your home,” Msgr. Rutechura said in conclusion.

The theme for the 32^nd CUEA graduation was: "Holistic Education for Sustainable Transformation of Africa."

Cardinal Turkson Presides Over Ordination of a New Bishop in Ghana

CANAA || By Damian Avevor, Ghana || 05 October 2015

A new Bishop was consecrated on Saturday for the Catholic diocese of Ho in Ghana, with thousands from all over the country turning up at the Ho Jubilee Park to witness the event.

Bishop Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, a member of the Religious Congregation of the Divine Word Missionaries (SVD), was ordained on Saturday and took canonical possession of Ho diocese, becoming the second bishop of the diocese.

The five-hour colourful event was presided over by the Vatican-based President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson as the Principal Consecrator, assisted by the Apostolic Nuncio in Ghana, Archbishop Jean-Marie Speich Bishop Emeritus Francis Lodonu who has been Bishop of 42 years.

Until his appointment on July 14, 2015, the new Bishop had been serving as the Secretary General of the Council of SVD, based in Rome.

Archbishop Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle of Accra delivered the homily, in which he entreated the new Bishop to discharge his duties with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to lead the Diocese as “a High Priest, Shepherd and Teacher” by leading the flock entrusted to him with the love of Jesus the Supreme and eternal Shepherd.

“Be not afraid for the Lord is with you and he has prepared the place here for you through the indefatigable work and loving service of your predecessors, more especially through the decades of loving service of your immediate predecessor, Bishop Emeritus Lodonu and the Clergy, religious and lay faithful of Ho Diocese,” Archbishop Palmer-Buckle told the new Bishop.

He implored the Holy Spirit upon the new Bishop saying, “I pray that the same Holy Spirit, who blowing upon the Apostles from ignoramuses, cowards and weaklings into powerful evangelizers and preachers of Christ Crucified, may once again also blow over you the Clergy and Religious and People of God, transform each and every one of you totally into veritable instruments of his for the task of the New Evangelisation.”

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle urged the Priests, Religious and lay faithful to walk with their new Bishop in the company of the Risen Christ saying, “Share with Christ and your Bishop your hopes and anxieties, your joys and disappointments.”

Archbishop Speich conveyed the Holy Father’s good wishes to Bishop Fianu and said that he had come to Ho as an ambassador of peace and assured the new Bishop of his support.

He expressed gratitude to Bishop Lodonu for his many years of service as well as Msgr. Anthony Kornu, former Vicar General and Administrator of the Diocese for his efforts, asking them to continue to support the new Bishop in his ministry.

The Nuncio advised Bishop Fianu to have a listening ear as he carries out his ministry in the diocese and urged the Priests, religious and lay faithful to love their new Bishop. He assured him of his support.

The President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC), Bishop Osei-Bonsu, also thanked Bishop Lodonu for his many years of dedicated service and congratulated Bishop Fianu saying, “We are confident that, you will make an invaluable contribution to the Conference and bring new insights to its work and discussions.”

In a brief remarks, Bishop Fianu said since the day of his nomination, he had been struggling to come to terms with the will of the Lord in his life, stating that in spite of his unworthiness and inadequacies, the Lord has begun to show clearly that His grace is indeed sufficient for him.

Outlining his vision for the Diocese, the new Bishop said that the Christian formation of the youth of the Diocese would receive his particular pastoral attention.

Saying that the basis of all Christian formation was the Word of God, he urged the Priests, Consecrated Men and Women and the laity to continue to put particular emphasis on the Biblical Pastoral Ministry.

“When we listen attentively to the Word of God in our daily lives, it guides our actions and makes of us not only Ministers of the Word but also true witnesses of Christ in the presence of our brothers and sisters,” the new Bishop said.

Earlier, the Bishop inspected a Guard of Honour mounted by the Knights and Ladies of Marshall and the Knights of St. John International and their Ladies Auxiliary.

Societies and groups presented gifts to the Bishop as their solidarity to his Episcopal Ministry.

The ceremony was attended by all the Bishops of Ghana as well as Bishops from Botswana, Central Africa Republic, Angola, Liberia, Togo and Benin.

Also in attendance were the Vice General Superior of the SVD from Rome, scores of Priests and men and women Religious and thousands of laity.

“God, or Nothing!”: Exclusive Interview with Robert Cardinal Sarah

Aleteia || By Diane Montagna || 01 October 2015

The prodigal son left home in order to say, “I’m independent, I’m autonomous from my father,” and his father wants to forgive him. But if he doesn’t return home, he can’t be forgiven. And returning home means leaving sin behind.

This was just one thought shared by Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, who spoke exclusively to Aleteia at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia last week.

Appointed Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in 2014, he was one of the first priests to be ordained in the West African nation of Guinea, and attributes his own faith to the generosity of the Spiritan missionaries, who came to his village in 1912.

Cardinal Sarah was one of the keynote speakers at the last week’s World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. He delivered a well received address entitled: The Light of the Family in a Dark World.

In this interview, he discusses his new book God or Nothing, the scope of papal authority, and why authentic mercy depends on a “break” from evil, and repentance of sin.

Your Eminence, your new book is entitled ‘God or Nothing’. Why did you choose this title, and what is the heart of the message of your book?

As you know, from the time just before the Second Vatican Council until now, God has been disappearing more and more; [for many] he no longer exists. No one is interested in Him, especially in the West. Already at the Council, they wanted to help the world to rediscover God.

The main idea of my book is how do we give God the first place in our thoughts, in our daily actions, and in our being, so that God truly returns to being our Father.

The economy is important, politics are important, many things are important, but if we lose God we are like a tree without roots: it dies. And therefore, the heart of the book is to put God first in my mind, in my daily actions, and in my being. In this way, man will not lose his roots.

Already in the Western culture, they say: “We don’t have Christian roots.” This is illogical. The culture, the architecture, the art: It’s all Christian. To deny what is clearly obvious is suicide.

I came to know God through the missionaries. Many of them died after one year on mission, or two, or three. They never survived longer than three years. They died of malaria, or some other illness. They sacrificed so much to proclaim God. And so I thought: If so many of them died, and if still today there are so many martyrs, it means that God is important in life.

Therefore, the heart of my book is this: How do we find God in what we are, in what we do, and in what we think?

But I also touch upon many issues and problems in the world today: issues and problems in the Church, issues in marriage, in the priesthood. All current issues that affect the life of the Church: mission, the Pope …

The Pope? In what sense?

I examine the role of the Pope. There is a chapter in which I talk about Pope Pius XII until Francis. The Pope’s role is to be the one to whom the Lord has entrusted the keys and the Church. “You are rock, Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church.”

Therefore, the Pope must be “Christ on earth” and protect the faith of Christians. He must help to preserve the faith, to safeguard and preserve what the Church has always lived from the beginning until now. He is the rock. If the rock isn’t solid, it can be difficult for Christians because they don’t have any protection. Until now, all of the popes have sought to secure and safeguard the faith of Christians.

Pope Francis often speaks about the economy, the environment, immigration, etc. How should the faithful rightly understand a pope’s statements on these matters?

If the Pope speaks about the economy or politics, it is not his field of expertise. He can offer his vision or opinion, but it’s not dogma. He can err. But what he says about Christ, about the Sacraments, about the faith must be considered as sure.

If he speaks about the environment, the climate, the economy, immigrants, etc., he is working from information that may be correct, or mistaken, but [in these cases] he is speaking as Obama speaks, or another president. It doesn’t mean that what he says on the economy is dogma, something we need to follow. It’s an opinion.

But, if what he says is illustrated and illumined by the Gospel, then we ought to regard it seriously. “God wills this; this is what the Bible says”. Or “God wills that; this is what the Gospel says”. Thus politics is illumined, the economy is illumined by the Gospel. That, too, has some surety because it is not his own thought. It is the thinking of the Bible, the mind of God.

For me, it’s clear that the Pope cannot not speak about these issues. But when he does, he is saying what any Head of State can say without it being the Word of God. We need to distinguish.

Here at the World Meeting of Families, you delivered a keynote address entitled ‘The Light of the Family in a Dark World’. You spoke about the threats the family faces, from both outside and within the Church. Regarding the latter, you said: “Even members of the Church can be tempted to soften Christ’s teaching on marriage and the family, and to curious and varying degrees the idea that would consist in placing the Magisterium in a pretty box and separating it from pastoral practice, which could involve, according to circumstances, fashions and impulses is a form of heresy, a dangerous schizophrenic pathology.” Can you clarify what you mean?

For example, some bishops say that — regarding marriage — when two people have separated, we need to see if we can give them Holy Communion even if, for example, they have entered into a second marriage. This isn’t possible, because God has said there can be only one marriage. If they are separated, they can’t enter into another marriage. If they do so, they cannot receive Communion.

But now, some are saying, that this may be done in order “to care for them pastorally, to heal them …,” but we can’t heal someone without truly curing him, without reconciling him with God.

If someone has already entered into a second marriage, it’s difficult to cure him. We cannot abandon him; certainly we can accompany him, saying: you should continue to pray and go to Mass; you must form your children in the Christian faith; you can participate in parish activities and charitable service. But you can’t receive Communion.

That is why I say we mustn’t separate doctrine from pastoral practice, thereby claiming to bring healing, because one can’t bring healing in this way.

Some prelates argue that allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion would be an act of mercy. Why in your view would allowing those who are divorced and remarried to receive Holy Communion not be an act of mercy?

Because mercy requires repentance. If I’ve done something wrong, I repent. If I did something wrong, in order to repent I have to break with the evil I’ve done. This is mercy.

Take the prodigal son, for example. He left home in order to say, “I’m independent, I’m autonomous from my father”. The father wants to forgive him, but if the prodigal son doesn’t return home, he can’t be forgiven. To be forgiven, he has to renounce his life and return home. This is mercy. If he remains far from home, he can’t receive mercy. Therefore, in order to receive mercy, one has to break with sin.

And why can’t the father go out and live with the son where he is?

Because the house is here; not somewhere out there. The son has to return home. If he returns home, he has left his independence, his sin. In the Gospel, the son returns home, saying: “I am your son, I am not worthy, but take me as a servant.” This is repentance. If there’s no repentance, there’s no mercy.

The same is true when Jesus went to the house of Zaccheus. He was a tax collector for the Romans. Jesus goes to his house, because he was there and wanted to see Jesus, and he humbled himself, climbing a tree. Jesus sees him. He sees that Zaccheus is looking for something, not only money. And Jesus says to him: “Come down, for today I want to come and stay in your home”.

The people say: “What? he’s going to stay in the house of a sinner,” but Zaccheus responds: “Yes, I stole lots of money, but today what I stole I’ll give back three and fourfold.” He repented. He doesn’t steal anymore, and that’s not all: he gave back what he’d stolen. This is mercy. The same is true for the Samaritan.

Jesus entered into Zaccheus’ home because he knew he had repented, and he thereby confirmed his repentance. What Zaccheus did wasn’t insignificant. Only children climb trees; he humbled himself in climbing the tree.

If we wish to analyze this more deeply, he climbed the tree of the Cross; that is, the tree that destroys sin.

Zaccheus ascended the tree of the Cross?

Yes, he ascended the Cross, because he was seeking a Savior. He didn’t need to climb the tree to see Jesus. It’s said he was short in stature, well and good. But symbolically, this point is very significant. He climbed the tree of salvation, and Jesus went to his house in order to confirm this.

Zaccheus repented. Then Jesus entered into his home. May we also say then, in a similar way, that before receiving Holy Communion, we have to repent, and then the Lord enters into us?

Yes. If we don’t leave behind our sin, how can we receive Communion? God and sin cannot abide together. It’s not harsh. It’s for the sake of bringing true healing. We need to truly help people. If someone is wounded, it’s not enough to put a salve on his hand. He needs to be cured.

And if someone does receive Holy Communion in a state of grave sin?

St. Paul says that he eats unto his own condemnation. If he does so knowingly, and does it of his own will, he eats unto his own condemnation.

We are all sinners, but we go to Confession and we don’t want to remain in sin. A marriage is something firmly established. If I have entered into a second marriage, and I’m there for life, it’s a firmly established sin. I can’t then claim to be able to receive Holy Communion.

Diane Montagna is Rome correspondent for Aleteia’s English edition.

South African Bishops’ Conference Calls for Tax Reform that Protects the Poor

Vatican Radio || Fr. Stan Muyebe, Coordinator, SACBC Justice and Peace Department || 30 September 2015

As the South African government reforms its tax structure to enable it collect more revenue for social services and other programmes, the Justice and Peace commission of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) has called on the Government in SA to adopt a model that does not hurt the poor.

Here below is a full statement released by the SACBC’s Justice and Peace Commission

SACBC Justice and Peace commission calls for a model of financing universal health coverage that does not hurt the poor.

The Justice and Peace Commission has asked the government not to increase VAT as the South African government seeks ways of raising more funds so as to finance the universal health coverage and other social programmes.

The commission was responding to the first interim report of the Davis Tax Committee, an advisory committee set up by the government to make recommendations for the tax reforms. 

Commenting on its submission, Bishop Gabuza, the chair person for the commission, believes that it is possible to develop a more transformative and distributionary tax system for South Africa.

“We support government efforts to expand the tax base and increase revenue collection so as to finance the National Health Insurance and other social programmes.  This should however be done through a progressive tax model, and not through VAT which is regressive and affects the poor more than the rich.  We call on the government to assess its tax reforms in terms of their impact on the poor.”

Instead of increasing VAT to finance universal health coverage and other social programmes, the commission has called for tax increase on the super-rich which would raise “an additional income of Rand 9,22 billion for the government, which is approximately equal to an increase of 0,5 percentage point in the VAT rate.”  The review of the mining tax should also be considered.

The commission also took issues against the Davis Tax committee for recommending that the zero rated basket, which provides inflation protection on food prices that are consumed by the poor, be eliminated. In recommending the elimination of the zero rated basket, the Davis tax committee had argued that the intended social goals of zero rating of food items could be achieved more efficiently through the spending side of the budget.

The commission disagreed with this argument.  “We are as yet to see social transfer interventions that comprehensively and effectively address the food insecurity problem and ensure adequate nutrition for the poor in South Africa.  Until we see this realised through the spending side of the budget, we shall continue to stand in solidarity with the working poor and the unemployed and argue for extensive zero rating.”

Instead of eliminating the zero rated basket, the commission called on government to establish a mechanism for periodic review of zero rated basket to ensure that it is optimally targeted towards the poor and accurately reflects the consumption and spending habits of the poor.    The commission also believes that the mechanism for periodic review would of necessity opens room for extending the zero rated basket in order to help the poor. 

“The practice of regular review of the zero rate basket should of necessity open the door for a possible periodic changes in the composition and number of items to feature in the zero rate basket.  In the light of the periodic review mechanism, we therefore submit that the extension of the zero rating be considered in tandem with the changes in the consumption patterns of the poor.”

This is a contrast to the position of the Davis Tax Committee which discouraged extension of the zero rated basket.

Over 1,500 to Graduate at Nairobi-Based Catholic University on Friday

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 01 October 2015

The 32^nd graduation ceremony of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) is scheduled to place on Friday, with some 1,591 graduands expected to receive Diplomas and Degrees at the University’s main campus in Langata, Nairobi.

According to the press release announcing the graduation sent to CANAA on Thursday, the ceremony will begin at 9.30 a.m. with the Ugandan High Commissioner to Kenya, H.E. Mrs Angelina Wapakhabulo as the Chief Guest.

Berhaneyesus D. Cardinal Souraphiel of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, who is CUEA Chancellor will confer the Diplomas and Degrees to the graduating candidates, in the presence of CUEA Council chaired by Bishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba of Nakuru diocese in Kenya.

The graduation Holy Eucharistic was celebrated on Thursday.

The theme for the Graduation is "Holistic Education for Sustainable Transformation of Africa."

The 31-year old Institute started as a graduate school of theology known as the Catholic Higher Institute of Eastern Africa (CHIEA) and belongs to the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA).

Guided by the vision “to be a world class University producing transformative leaders for Church and Society,” CUEA hosts the 12^th IBM Research Lab in the world, the first in Africa.

The University has signed a deal to offer standardization courses, the first such courses in English speaking Africa.

An African to Head Comboni Missionaries, Pope Francis Lauds Combonians

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 01 October 2015

The Institute of the Comboni Missionaries on Wednesday elected an African from Ethiopia, Father Tesfaye Tadesse Gebresilasie, as their new Superior General, succeeding Father Enrique Sánchez González, a Mexican.

Dedicating their lives to following Christ’s example and St. Daniel Comboni who at an early age felt a strong call to the priesthood and to take the Gospel to Africa, Comboni Missionaries first worked in Europe and Africa, moving to North and South America in the 1930s, and expanding into Asia in the 1980s.

Last year (2014), the Comboni Family comprising of more than 4,000 priests, brothers, sisters, and laity from diverse cultures commemorated the 150^th anniversary of St. Daniel Comboni’s plan for the regeneration of Africa.

Father Tesfaye, 46, becomes the first African to hold the post of Superior General in the Religious Institute of Combonians.

Born in Harar, Ethiopia, Father Tesfaye was ordained a priest on 26 August 1995.

According to the news report published on Comboni Missionaries website, Father Tesfaye “was elected as Superior General of the Comboni Missionaries by almost all of the Chapter delegates.”

Addressing his confreres soon after being elected, Father Tesfaye thanked the delegates for their “trust and mercy.”

“I would like to say thanks to the confreres who have expressed their reservations, their hesitation. I agree with you and thank you, because I myself am afraid, I too have my reservations and my hesitations. So thanks for your realism,” he added.

Accepting the leadership position accorded to him by his confereres, Father Tesfaye has been quoted as saying, “Out of respect for those who voted for me and for what these votes represent, after having prayed about it, I contacted my spiritual director and others, and especially after the encouragement of Fr. Enrique and the General councillors to accept, I, for the glory of God and trusting in God’s help, in the General Council, the General Direction here in Rome and in you, circumscription superiors, and humbly asking for mercy, I accept to serve as Superior General.”

Before his election, Father Tesfaye has been serving, since 2009, as the Assistant General. He has been responsible for Basic Formation and the provinces/delegations of English-speaking Africa (except Eritrea) and Mozambique.

He was in Egypt in 1995-1996 to study Arabic and worked in Northern Sudan between 1997 and 2000. He returned to Ethiopia in 2001 and worked first in first evangelization and then as a formator in the postulancy before being elected provincial superior in 2005.

Berhaneyesus D. Cardinal Souraphiel of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has wished Father Tesfaye God’s blessings as he assumes new responsibility.

“He (Father Tesfaye) has served as a Comboni missionary in Ethiopia, as President of the Conference of Major Religious Superiors in Addis Abeba, and as the Provincial Superior of the Comboni in Ethiopia,” Cardinal Souraphiel who is in Nairobi to preside over the 32^nd graduation at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) told CANAA on Thursday.

“I will advise him to continue to serve with humility and love; to continue the evangelization work of St Comboni who had such great love and respect for the African peoples,” Cardinal Souraphiel further said, adding, “May the intercessions of St  Comboni, the Comboni Saints and Martyrs, known and unknown,  accompany him in this great responsibility he is undertaking.”

Meanwhile, Pope Francis on Thursday lauded the Comboni Missionaries for their service as “servants and messengers of the Gospel, especially for those who do not know it or have forgotten it.”

Below is the report by the Vatican Information Service on the Pope’s address to the delegates of general chapter of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, also available at: http://visnews-en.blogspot.co.ke/2015/10/francis-praises-great-spiritual-and.html

The Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus attending their general chapter were received in audience by the Holy Father in the Clementine Hall this morning. In his address to them, Francis spoke about the words that define their name and identity.

As missionaries, the Combonians are “servants and messengers of the Gospel, especially for those who do not know it or have forgotten it”, said the Pope. “At the root of this, the personal relationship with Christ … determines all of our existence and action; and it is experienced and nurtured above all in prayer, in staying by the Lord's side. … In this prayerful space we encounter the true treasure we give to our brethren through proclamation. Indeed, the missionary is the servant of God Who speaks, Who wishes to speak to today's men and women, just as Jesus spoke to those of His time. … In the Word of God there is the wisdom that comes from above, and that enables us to find the languages, approaches and tools suited to responding to the challenges of a changing humanity”.

As Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, you contribute joyfully to the mission of the Church, bearing witness to the charism of St. Daniel Comboni, characterised by the merciful love of Christ's Heart for the defenceless. In this Heart there is the source of the mercy that saves and generates hope. Therefore, as you are consecrated to God for the mission, you are called upon to imitate the merciful and mild Jesus, to live your service with a humble heart, caring for the most abandoned of our time. … From that Heart you learn the necessary meekness to carry out your apostolic action even in difficult and hostile contexts. This heart, that so loved humanity, drives you to the peripheries of society to bear witness to the perseverance of patient and faithful love”.

Finally, the Pope expresses to the missionaries his hope that this general chapter might illuminate the path of the Institute in the coming years, helping it to “continually rediscover its great heritage of spirituality and missionary activity. In this way you are able to trustfully continue your valuable contribution to the mission of the Church. May you be inspired and encouraged by the example of many of your brethren, who have given their lives for the cause of the Gospel, willing even to offer the supreme witness of blood. Indeed, it is well known that the Combonian Institute is distinguished by an uninterrupted chain of martyrs, up to our times. They are a fruitful seed in spreading God's Kingdom, and protectors of your apostolic efforts”.