On the Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, February 7, 2026 — celebrated on the 7th this year because February 8 fell on a Sunday — a day dedicated to prayer and reflection on human trafficking, a coordinated outreach effort brought critical awareness training to students in two secondary schools in Eastern Nigeria. The initiative, conducted in partnership with the Pan-African…
The Holy See confirmed this week, through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, that it will not participate in U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace” on Palestine, according to a Reuters report. The Vatican’s reason was simple and consistent with its diplomatic tradition: a crisis of this magnitude must be addressed through legitimate multilateral institutions, above all the United Nations. The…
“Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return. Repent and believe the Gospel.” The liturgy of Ash Wednesday places before the Church a truth that is at once sobering and profoundly liberating. “Remember that you are dust.” Humanity is dust—finite, vulnerable, radically dependent on God. Yet this incompleteness is not a defect in our humanity. It is…
The Church in Africa is one of the most vibrant and rapidly growing communities in global Catholicism today. The Pontifical Yearbook, in its 2024 edition, reports that Africa accounts for 20% of the world’s Catholics and is characterised by a highly dynamic spread of the Catholic Church. From the Second Vatican Council to the Synods on Africa (1994 and 2009),…
On a humid afternoon in a public secondary school in southeastern Nigeria, I was asked to address students preparing for their final examinations. After speaking about discipline and hope, I posed a simple question: What does faith mean to you? A boy in the front row raised his hand and replied without hesitation, “Faith means not asking questions.” The class…
Across Africa, a quiet but profound shift is taking place inside family homes. What used to be spaces defined by conversation, chores, shared meals, and evening storytelling are now illuminated by the glow of smartphones, tablets, and constant internet access. For many parents, these devices have become space invaders, entering the home with ease, settling into children’s hands, and reshaping…
LUSAKA, ZAMBIA — For decades, the Catholic Sisters of Zambia have been the steadfast, often unnoticed, heartbeat of national progress. This past August, that heartbeat found a new, resolute rhythm. At the launch of the Communication Network for Catholic Sisters (CNCS) Strategic Plan for 2025–2029, a historic pledge was made to move from silent service to authoritative storytelling. According to…
The ongoing cultural debate that erupted at the Ghana–Zambia economic forum in Lusaka between Zambians and Ghanaians over the dress code for African politicians and public officials is both interesting and revealing. It is revealing not because of what people said, but because the debate exposed Africa’s unresolved relationship with identity, dress codes, modernity, and power. The debate was triggered…
Entretien avec le Père Ludovic Lado, SJ Après des élections contestées en Ouganda, en Tanzanie et au Cameroun, le jésuite camerounais Ludovic Lado livre une analyse sans concession de la crise démocratique africaine, du silence prophétique de l’Église et des signes ténus mais réels d’espérance portés par des résistants anonymes. Une parole libre, lucide et dérangeante. VoiceAfrique : Pour commencer,…
The recent Lifetime Achievement Award given to the Father of Afrobeat, Nigeria’s Fela Anikulapo Kuti, calls for celebration and reflection on his enduring legacy. Fela is the first African to win this award, albeit posthumously. While many of his numerous admirers will wonder why he never received it while he was alive, or why it has taken nearly three decades…