From the 10th to the 21st of this month, world leaders gather in Belém, Brazil, for COP30—the defining climate summit of the year. More than 190 countries are represented. The theme, “Global Mutirão,” meaning collective effort, calls on leaders for global mobilization to defend the rights of Indigenous peoples and promote shared well-being. Curiously, the president of the “Land of…
Pope Leo XIV’s first Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te (“I Have Loved You”), was issued at a decisive hour for Africa and for the world. It comes as our continent stands at once wounded and hopeful — home to one of the fastest-growing Christian populations on earth, yet still carrying the heaviest burdens of poverty, hunger, human trafficking, and displacement, amidst…
Cameroon’s election, Ethiopia’s repentance, and Sierra Leone’s faith offer three mirrors for a continent at the crossroads. On October 12, 2025, Cameroon held an election amid a cloud of uncertainty and gloom. Under an uneasy sky, citizens lined up around polling stations across the nation and cast ballots in what many see as another turning of a wheel that long…
On Monday, September 15, four consecrated women of God—Sr. Lilian Kapongo, Superior General of the Missionary Sisters of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus (MCST); Sr. Nerina, the Congregation’s Secretary; Sr. Damaris Matheka; and Sr. Stellamaris—lost their lives in a tragic road accident in Tanzania’s Catholic Archdiocese of Mwanza. Their driver, Boniphase Msonola, also perished, and another Sister remains in…
This past Sunday, as we celebrated the Triumph of the Cross, many in our pews were singing of victory. But in the hills of Africa, many Christians are still hanging on crosses of a different kind—massacres in church halls, funerals turned into killing fields. In Komanda, DRC, a community held a vigil toward morning, only to be torn apart by…
On September 8, Pope Leo will mark four months in office. I write this editorial as both a tribute to Pope Leo and a plea for Africa. It is already clear that Pope Leo has shown himself to be a steady hand at the helm—no missteps, only poise, purpose, and a calm clarity of vision. It was never going to…
In his message for the 2025 World Day of Prayer for Creation, Pope Leo XIV calls Christians to unite under the theme “Seeds of Peace and Hope.” He reminds us that “together with prayer, determination and concrete actions are necessary if this ‘caress of God’ is to become visible to our world.” This Season of Creation, he urges, is more…
A brutal Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis claimed at least 20 lives, including five journalists: Hussam al-Masri, Mariam Abu Dagga, Mohammed Salama, Moaz Abu Taha, and Ahmed Abu Aziz. They died for doing what every democracy claims to value—telling the truth. Israel dismissed it as a “tragic mishap.” But what we have seen in the conduct of…
❝ Out of Africa can rise a hope capable of reawakening the whole Church” — Stan Chu Ilo In a recent essay, Carlos Lopes warned of the “structural exhaustion” of the global order. Once-stable arrangements like free trade, multilateral institutions, and geopolitical balance are visibly fraying. Rising protectionism, populist nationalism, climate disruption, and deepening inequality have shaken the rules that…
This week marks a historic gathering as African bishops convene in Kigali, Rwanda, for the 20th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). Over 250 participants including presidents of 54 national episcopal conferences, theologians, and global partners are taking part in this landmark assembly. The expectations from God’s people in Africa are high on…