A statement by Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) accusing political groups of fuelling ethnic tensions in the country has generated controversy in the region. Sarah-Leah Pimentel examines the Church’s duty in speaking ou... More »
The Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) began their bi-annual plenary session on 22 January 2020 in Pretoria, Gauteng. In his opening address as president of the conference, Bishop Sithembele Sipuka spoke about the SACBC’s new Pastoral Plan, ... More »
Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya observes that religious art in his parish and many African parishes depict religious figures as white, while black people are depicted as those in need of saving. He posits that religious art in the African Church still needs to be liber... More »
Journalist Michael O’Loughlin, from our sister publication, America Media, recently published a fascinating podcast called “Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church.” His investigation focuses primarily in the United States, but in the final epis... More »
A new book, reportedly co-authored by Joseph Ratzinger and Cardinal Robert Sarah, cautions against calls to re-examine the law of priestly celibacy. Anthony Egan SJ explores what may be behind the timing of the book and the larger issues at play in a Church th... More »
The theme of Pope Francis’ annual Christmas Day “Urbi et Orbi” Message is “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light”. Vatican News reports. Addressing the faithful gathered in the Square on Christmas Day Pope Francis pronounced his annual “Urb... More »
On Tuesday, 10 December 2019, in commemoration of the United Nation’s Human Rights Day, the Jesuit Institute South Africa, in collaboration with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), premiered their new 21-minute documentary entitled “In Another Prison? Migrants i... More »
Yesterday, 1 December 2019, the first Sunday of Advent and the start of the Church’s new liturgical year, and during the national 16 days of activism in South Africa against Gender Violence, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) released a ... More »
His Holiness, Pope Francis, has appointed Fr Joseph Kizito, as the new Bishop of Aliwal in South Africa. Msgr. Joseph Kizito had been the Vicar-General for the Diocese of Aliwal for many years. He had also been responsible for efforts to help stateless childre... More »
Mike Pothier comments that the media storm around the controversial display of an indigenous Andean goddess at the Amazon Synod distracted the Catholic world from the weightier issues discussed at the Synod. The real idolatry, he says, is not a wooden carving,... More »
The Final Document of the Amazon Synod provides, among other things, a powerful contribution to Catholic social teaching and the Church’s pastoral response to the communities directly affected by the extractive industry. Stan Muyebe OP comments that African ec... More »
Catholic Welfare and Development (CWD) was forced to shut down late last year. Mismanagement had brought this life-giving welfare wing of the Catholic Church to collapse. This was a huge blow to many poor people across the Cape Flats. Spotlight.africa reported... More »