NICARAGUA Pope calls for an end to violence as death toll reaches 110   After praying the noonday Angelus in St. Peter’s square before an audience of thousands on 3 June, Pope Francis called for an end to violence in Nicaragua: “I join my Brother Bishops of Nicaragua in expressing [...]

NIGERIA Priests injured in attack on a seminary by Fulani herdsmen   Reports in the Nigerian media said a Catholic minor seminary was attacked by largely Muslim Fulani herdsmen in Jalingo, part of Nigeria’s north-central “Middle Belt” region.  The attack occurred in the early morning hours around 12:30 a.m. local [...]

NIGERIA  “Islamic militants have a Masterplan to Islamise the region and wipe out Christianity”   Islamist nomadic herdsmen are waging a violent campaign to eradicate Christianity from Nigeria’s Middle Belt region – and the Government is doing very little to stop them “There is a clear agenda: a plan to [...]

VENEZUELA Church building seized by a local government group   On Monday 28 May, a group of people forced their way into the premises of Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Ejido in Mérida state. Fr. José Juan Flores, the parish priest, prevented them from entering the church but [...]

VENEZUELA Cardinal Savino highlights Government failure as the cause of the crisis   ‘A kilogram of milk powder costs more than the average monthly wage. How can Venezuelan mothers feed their children?’    “A kilogram of milk powder costs more than the average monthly wage. How can Venezuelan mothers feed [...]

Pope tells Polish youth “Rest assured He sees you as a precious treasure for the world’   At the end of last Wednesday's General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis addressed a group of Polish young people who were taking part on Saturday 2 June in the 22nd Meeting [...]

NIGERIA Kidnapped schoolgirl who refused to convert to Islam remains in captivity   Leah Sharibu has just turned 15. Normally she would have shared a special birthday meal with her family at their home in northeast Nigeria. Afterwards, they would have bowed their heads in prayer, asking God to bless [...]

MALAYSIA Bishops urge prayers for peace and reconciliation after the election   The Bishops of Malaysia issued a message after the political elections saying "We exercised our democratic right of vote on May 9, 2018. Malaysia has a golden opportunity, the future lies in the hands of the people. We [...]

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC “Bangui is wounded and in need of heroes”   At the most difficult moments heroes arise, and I do not doubt that these heroes exist here too in the Central African Republic, willing to rise up as one and say ‘no’ to violence, ‘no’ to barbarity, ‘no’ [...]

CAMEROON Bishops condemn ‘monstrous violence’   The Catholic bishops of Cameroon have issued an urgent plea signed by Monsignor Samuel Kleda, President of the Cameroon Bishops’ Conference, following the brutal army crackdown against an independence movement in English-speaking regions of Cameroon. The escalating humanitarian crisis that resulted is described by [...]