“Day after day, through my commitment and all that I am, I try to participate in the building of the Church that I love so much as a religious and as a journalist”, Sister Elisabeth Tikabi, a Cameroonian Comboni Missionary, tells us. After completing my studies in Social Communications at the Salesian Pontifical University of …

Mission Diary. DR Congo. “I never cease to be amazed by the mystery of my vocation” Read More »

Kidnapping for ransom has long become a real industry in Nigeria. Priests and the religious are the target. It is a sunny and hot Sunday morning. Father Steven is getting ready to go to celebrate mass in one of the parish chapels where today the community is celebrating the first communions. The previous evening, he …

Nigeria. The open wound of kidnapping priests Read More »

In a historic step, the Hanoi government has invited Pope Francis to visit the country. We talk with Mons. Nguyen Anh Tuan, bishop of Ha Tinh “New climate, trusting us more.” The Catholic community in Vietnam makes up one of the most vibrant Churches in Asia today, with 7 million faithful in a country of …

Vietnam, new-found hope Read More »

Easter must be shared and we must become “agents” of the resurrection. As long as we give life, radiate hope, joy, and love, we make the resurrection a reality in our lives, and in other peoples’ lives. Some years ago, while walking around our seminary compound, I saw something that made me stop. I saw …

Reflection. Be an “Easter” Person Read More »

Once upon a time, two boys left their home village to go to a faraway country. One of them believed in travelling light. The other one was always curious about things. As they walked along a footpath through the bush, they saw the quill of a porcupine lying on the ground. The first boy ignored …

Oral Literature. The two boys and the Lion Read More »

Father Abebayehu Tefera Atara, a Comboni missionary from Ethiopia, tells us how his missionary vocation began. I grew up in Haro Wato, in Uraga district, Guji Zone, which is in the Oromiya region of Ethiopia. I was the firstborn of nine children. While my father was a quiet man, my mother was a teacher and …

Vocation Story. “What I mean to be a priest” Read More »

To those who ask me which side I am on with so many armed and bloody conflicts being pursued in various regions of the world, I reply without hesitation that I am on the side of the victims of war. I stand with the people of Israel and Palestine, with the Russian people and the …

The missionary Perspective. “I Am on the Side of Peace” Read More »

Given the elections for the European Parliament to be held on 6-9 June 2024, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) has issued a statement inviting all citizens, especially Catholics, to prepare for the elections and vote responsibly “promoting Christian values and the European project”. Below is the statement. We, bishops …

EU Bishops in view of the 2024 elections: “For a responsible vote promoting Christian values and the European project” Read More »

Praying and fighting for justice means embracing the cross, the impotent power of God that frees humanity from systems that kill life. It also happened in South Africa. Many attribute responsibility for the war unleashed by Israel in Gaza to the assault carried out by Hamas militants on 7 October 2023. A conflict that had …

Reflection. Gaza, solidarity, struggle, and the fight for justice Read More »

Once upon a time, there was a king who had seven strong sons. When the day came for the eldest of them to leave home, he explained to his father that he longed to travel to a distant land and asked for a sailboat, along with some food and money. The king gave him these …

Oral Literature. Jabari and the three tests Read More »