St. Joseph Catholic Church

The people of Sudan and South Sudan have been urged to resolve all their differences through dialogue and to respect one another.

Speaking to Catholic Radio Network (CRN) in Juba in mid-Sept. after attending a two-day meeting in preparation for the 19th plenary Assembly of Association for Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa (AMECEA) to be held in July 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, AMECEA Secretary-General Rev. Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo called on the political leaders in the two countries to embrace the spirit of reconciliation with sincerity because revenge cannot resolve the conflicts.

The Catholic bishops of Togo have issued a Pastoral Letter adding their voice to calls for constitutional refom in the country and a return to the 1992 constitution that sets presidential term limits. In their just-released letter, the bishops urged for a return to that constitution to resolve the on-going crisis.  “Constitutional reforms are of particular importance, without which it is impossible to bring peace and social cohesion in our country", said the bishops.

Thousands of people across the small West African nation have been demonstrating for term limits on President Faure Gnassingbe, who has been in power since his father died in 2005, after 38 years in power.

The Catholic Bishops of Nigeria are calling on the federal and state governments to urgently address situations of injustice and give every Nigerian a sense of belonging. The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria made this appeal in a communique at the end their recent second plenary for 2017 in  Jalingo.

In the statement, the bishops addressed several challenges facing the country. They cited among others, protests and agitations, which exploit the grievances of different segments of the country; violence perpetrated by armed herdsmen, Boko Haram militants and other groups. The bishops commended the vast majority of Nigerians for “standing together and remaining law-abiding citizens in the face of many difficulties, challenges and even provocation,” the statement read in part.  “We condole with the victims of terrorism, natural disasters, conflicts and violent crimes, while we continue to pray for the deceased. The solidarity shown by many Nigerians to those affected by the recent floods that affected some parts of the country is a sign of hope for our common peaceful co-existence. We equally commend the assistance rendered by individual Dioceses and other humanitarian agencies to the displaced and distressed persons. We appeal to the Government to carry the Church along in the work of the rehabilitation of such persons.”