I stood among the concelebrating priests at Pope Leo’s Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square. There, I watched the choreography of solemn ritual, spiritual power, and papal presence unfold. What caught my attention, as a Black Catholic priest, was the quieter symbolism at the altar. Two African priests were among the principal masters of ceremony at the Mass, which…
As global oil prices rose following tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, many Nigerians expected relief at the fuel pump. Instead, prices surged. Fuel prices have skyrocketed by 39.5%, plunging Nigeria into yet another fuel crisis. Located between Oman and Iran, the Strait of Hormuz is considered one of the most critical oil chokepoints in the world, with an estimated…
Reading the recent threats issued on Truth Social by President Trump on Easter Sunday, and his public statements on Easter Monday, threats to completely destroy Iran by Easter Tuesday, to blow up bridges, to dismantle power plants, if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened by Iran, were not only disturbing; they were heartbreaking. It forces one to ask, with…
As Christians across Africa join the global Church in celebrating Easter, they await the season’s ancient message of joyful hope with urgent expectancy. Many individuals and communities enter the Holy Week carrying the weight of sin, frustration, economic strain, political uncertainty, and social fragmentation. Yet it is precisely into this landscape that Easter’s central proclamation, that life, not death, has…
Niamey, Niger — Ce fut un moment de joie et d’accueil chaleureux lorsque Son Excellence, Mgr Éric Suiviguidi, nonce apostolique pour le Burkina Faso et le Niger, a effectué une visite à Niamey du 22 au 25 mars afin de présenter ses lettres de créance au président Abdourahamane Tiani. Lors de la messe qu’il a présidée le mardi 23 mars,…
The Shadow in the Garden It was night in Gethsemane. The olive trees stood still, like silent witnesses. The stars, veiled by heavy clouds, withheld their light. In that darkness, a man kissed another man—a gesture of friendship turned into betrayal. The man who received this kiss had just fed Judas a morsel of bread dipped in rich soup—an act…
One month into escalating tensions between the United States, Israel, and Iran, the conflict is no longer confined to the Middle East. Its effects are already visible across global markets, supply chains, and political systems. Yet far from the battlefield—in Juba, Abuja, Lusaka, Algiers, and Nairobi—a different question is taking shape: what does this crisis mean for Africa? At first…
Le dimanche 23 mars n’était pas une journée comme les autres. Pour les catholiques de l’archidiocèse de Niamey, au Niger, il représente un moment profondément symbolique : leur pèlerinage annuel de Carême. Quelques jours après la période du Ramadan, les catholiques — minoritaires dans un pays à majorité musulmane — se sont rassemblés non pas pour se faire remarquer, mais…
LUSAKA, Zambia – On March 17, 2026, fifteen sisters from seven religious congregations in Zambia completed a week‑long training in chapter facilitation aimed at strengthening leadership and improving the conduct of General Chapters within religious institutes. The workshop, organized by the Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA), took place at the Kalundu Conference Centre in Lusaka…
During an appearance on Head-to-Head on Al Jazeera on March 7, Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communication to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, argued that Nigeria’s insecurity must be understood within its “context.” Yet for many Nigerians, the lived context is unmistakable: a country where kidnappings, bandit attacks, insurgent violence, and mass killings have become recurring features of daily life.…