Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Sunday urged leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo to act quickly to resolve its political crisis and curb violence, condemning in particular the use of child soldiers. Violence has flared across the country in recent months, including deadly confrontations …
Read More »Vatican ‘House of Cards’ as pro and anti-pope factions clash
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | A real-life version of the hit political drama “House of Cards” is unfolding at the Vatican, from cardinals openly defying the pope to anonymous posters sullying his name. In the latest episode, a group of powerful Princes of the Church released a statement …
Read More »Enter the dragon: rural Chinese honour mythical beast
Liancheng, China | AFP | Dragons several hundred metres long snake their way down pastoral roads and through country hamlets, part of centuries-old Chinese folk celebrations for a mythical creature revered as a blessing. The visually striking festival is among a range of colourful traditional observances unique to eastern Fujian …
Read More »Opus Dei names new chief
Rome, Italy | AFP | Controversial Roman Catholic organisation Opus Dei said Tuesday it had named Fernando Ocariz as its new chief following the death of its 84-year-old leader. Pope Francis officially named Ocariz, 72, as the organisation’s fourth leader, an Opus Dei statement said. He replaces bishop Javier Echevarria, …
Read More »The secret world of Japan’s hidden Christians
Ikitsuki, Japan | AFP | Japanese rice farmer Masatsugu Tanimoto doesn’t think of himself as a Christian, and you’d almost never find him in a church. But every so often, he and others meet to recite prayers drawn from another time and place. The group, dressed in sober kimonos and …
Read More »Pope Francis hits 80 – and he’s not slowing down
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis turns 80 on Saturday with no sign of slowing down in his drive to reshape the Catholic church to reflect his own vision of compassion and humility. Three years and nine months after his election, the first pope from the Americas …
Read More »Bunyoro Kitara diocese gets new bishop
Rev Canon Samuel Kahuma, 57, has been consecrated as the new Anglican Bishop of Bunyoro Kitara diocese in Hoima. Kahuma was presented before Archbishop Stanley Ntagali formally for a few queries to determine whether he was qualified for admission into the church administration. “I am determined by God’s grace. I …
Read More »At least 25 dead in blast at Cairo church
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | A bombing in a Cairo church on Sunday near the headquarters of the Coptic pope killed at least 25 people, state media reported. It was the deadliest suspected attack on the country’s beleaguered Christian minority in recent memory. The explosion ripped through the church around …
Read More »Over 100 feared dead in Nigeria church collapse
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | A church roof has collapsed in southeastern Nigeria causing “many deaths and injury” the country’s president said Saturday, with state media reporting that up to 200 people could have been killed. The evangelical Reigners Bible Ministry in Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom state was packed …
Read More »PICTORIAL: Museveni, Janet host Uganda 2016 Thanksgiving
PICTORIAL: President Yoweri Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni Friday hosted guests to the annual Thanksgiving at State House, Entebbe. In his speech, he said “If you read the book I wrote recently, ‘The Mustard Seed’, you will see that I have known God directly and I thank Him for …
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