War

Cardinal urges world help Ukraine so ‘nonsense of war’ stops

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(UCA news. Paulina Guzik).

In what he said was the most dramatic moment of his eight visits to Ukraine, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, papal almoner, appealed from a Ternopil cemetery that the world needs to help Ukraine without further delays so that the “nonsense of war” stops. Without mentioning Russia by name, he also said that for those who cause war, “if only someone will go down to his knees and ask for forgiveness, Jesus won’t be tired of our sins. He will forgive everything.” Cardinal Krajewski arrived June 25 in the western city of Lviv, Ukraine, and on June 26, he left for Ternopil at dawn, as he recounted in a voice message sent to OSV News.

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Cardinal Ambongo: le sang des Congolais continue à couler

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(Stanislas Kambashi. Vatican News).

Près de 150 personnes sont mortes depuis début juin, dans l’Est de la RDC, dans des tueries attribuées au groupe armé ADF, affilié à l’organisation Etat islamique. Pour le Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, il est déplorable et incompréhensible que le sang de Congolais continue à couler dans l’indifférence de la Communauté internationale. Les chrétiens qui y sont tombés sont des «martyrs», estime-t-il, en faisant le lien avec la béatification de quatre missionnaires en août prochain à Uvira.

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DRC: Bishop calls on authorities to end the torment of the Congolese people

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(Sina Hartert. ACN).

After new massacres in North-Kivu, Mgr Sikuli Paluku, Bishop of Butembo-Beni, in a message sent to ACN, denounces the atrocities committed by the ADF since the beginning of June 2024. The bishop insists that there cannot be a separation between faith and the defence of human dignity.

Following massacres by the rebel group known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the Baswagha-Madiwe group of villages in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which have cost the lives of some 150 people since the beginning of June, Mgr Melchisédech Sikuli Paluku, the Bishop of the Diocese of Butembo-Beni in North-Kivu, published a “message of denunciation, compassion and proclamation” on Tuesday 18 June 2024.

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Civil war in Sudan: What’s Happening and Why?

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(Jonah McKeown. ACI Africa).

For over a year, the people of Sudan — one of the largest countries in Africa — have suffered under a brutal civil war that has reduced the capital, Khartoum, to a war zone.

Amid the chaos and a complex set of competing political interests, children and the poor have been hit hardest.

Just last week, the United Nations confirmed that 35 children were among those killed in one of the war’s deadliest attacks to date. All told, at least 15,550 people have reportedly been killed in the fighting and some 10 million people have been displaced, many internally.

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Civil war in Sudan: What’s happening and why?

Posted on by Catholic Radar An

(CNA. Jonah Mckeown).

For over a year, the people of Sudan — one of the largest countries in Africa — have suffered under a brutal civil war that has reduced the capital, Khartoum, to a war zone. Amid the chaos and a complex set of competing political interests, children and the poor have been hit hardest. Just last week, the United Nations confirmed that 35 children were among those killed in one of the war’s deadliest attacks to date. All told, at least 15,550 people have reportedly been killed in the fighting and some 10 million people have been displaced, many internally. An overwhelmingly Muslim country, Catholics made up roughly 5% of the population of Sudan before the most recent war and played an important role in schools and education. But now, many missionaries and religious communities have had to flee the country, and parishes, hospitals, and schools have ceased their activities. In Sudan’s neighboring country, South Sudan, the Church maintains a large presence and remains very active in relief efforts.

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Kenya president joins Pope Francis in calling for end of conflicts in Africa

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(Crux. Ngala Killian Chimtom).

Kenyan President William Ruto has joined Pope Francis in calling for peace in Africa, including an end to conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Sudan and South Sudan. Addressing the G7 members in Apulia, Italy, the Kenyan president painted a disturbing picture of a world torn by conflict, and the horrible humanitarian toll they have inflicted on humanity. “In Sudan, hundreds of thousands have died; millions are displaced and face starvation. In the Middle East, the conflict in Gaza has claimed tens of thousands of lives, devastated the livelihoods of millions, and caused global economic shockwaves,” Ruto said on June 15. “Europe is grappling with a major conflict that has brought unthinkable carnage and widespread economic disruption,” he said, and added that the world finds itself “in the grip of relentless global challenges of unprecedented magnitude.”

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RDC : 30 ans d’évangélisation dans la guerre

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(Rédaction. Zenit).

” Depuis 30 ans, nous sommes dans un cycle de violence et dans un éternel recommencement. On sait quand la guerre commence, mais on ne sait pas quand elle va se terminer », déclare l’abbé Floribert Bashimbe, vicaire général de l’archidiocèse de Bukavu en République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) lors de sa visite au siège international de l’AED « Cela fait 30 ans que nous évangélisons dans la guerre, que nous essayons de donner ce message d’espérance aux gens : ‘Dieu a créé l’homme pour la vie, non pour la mort !’ Il ne faut pas baisser les bras.”

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10 years after Mosul’s destruction, will Christians come back?

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(The Catholic World Report. Georgena Habbaba).

The fall of Mosul, Iraq, to ISIS in 2014 wasn’t the beginning of the struggle for the city’s Christians. Killings, abductions, and threats from armed groups had plagued the community since the 2003 invasion by U.S. military. Clergy and laypeople alike bore the brunt of the violence, with bombings targeting churches as well. The situation reached a peak when security forces crumbled, failing to protect Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city and the heart of Nineveh province. ISIS seized control on June 10, 2014, plunging Mosul’s Christians into the darkest period of their recent history. Today, they grapple with rebuilding their lives while demanding accountability and a future built on equity and justice. In the wake of clashes and bombings between security forces and ISIS, Mosul’s residents were left to fend for themselves. Witness Nahed Abdul Ahad, interviewed by ACI Mena, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, described the complete absence of security forces. “Many families fled the city, particularly Christians,” Abdul Ahad said. “They feared the worst, especially after widespread reports of killings and torture by terrorists. Others clung to the hope that this was just a temporary security lapse.”

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