A bishop, a priest and several religious are among the 42 confirmed dead after a massacre in the Central African Republic town of Alindao. The death toll is expected to rise as UN forces sift through the remains of a refugee camp which witnesses say was completely razed. The attacks, said to be the work Read more
Being a missionary in the Central African Republic means witnessing to the forgiveness and mercy of God, says Father Yovane Cox. Cox says sectarian violence in the Republic urgently calls for “showing mercy” and to “being ready to forgive, to help people to overcome terrible things such as death of a loved one or the Read more
Pope Francis has become the first Pontiff in recent history to visit a conflict zone when he arrived in the Central African Republic on Sunday. The nation has been embroiled in a civil war between a Muslim minority and a Christian majority since March, 2013. Arriving in the capital, Bangui, Francis declared himself a “pilgrim Read more
A priest was among at least 18 people killed in a grenade and gunfire attack on a church in the Central African Republic. The attack on the church of Our Lady of Fatima in the capital Bangui on May 28 was blamed on the Seleka militia group. Those in the church were sheltering from violent Read more
The Catholic Church is the only institution still functioning in the war-torn Central African Republic, an African archbishop says. “The state no longer exists,” said Archbishop Samuel Kleda from Cameroon. “The only institution that is functioning [in the CAR] is the Catholic Church,” he said. “Actually, the displaced are living in Catholic parishes,” Archbishop Kleda Read more
Catholic, Protestant and Muslim leaders from the Central African Republic have warned of a genocidal war in their country. They have pleaded for the deployment of United Nations peacekeepers. Continue reading
A priest in the strife-torn Central African Republic is being hailed as a hero after saving the lives of hundreds of Muslims. Fr Xavier-Arnauld Fagba opened his church doors to protect the Muslims from attacks by a militia, the Globe and Mail reports. “They didn’t have anyone to help them,” said Fr Fagba, 31, who Read more
A massacre of the innocents is taking place in the heart of Africa as the world looks the other way. The humanitarian emergency in the Central African Republic (CAR), a landmass bigger than France where the average male life expectancy is 48, remains a blind spot for most of the international community. Samantha Power, the US Read more
Africa’s Catholic bishops have expressed “shock and outrage” at human rights violations in the Central African Republic, where in recent months the social fabric has been “completely torn up”. One of the world’s poorest countries, the landlocked Central African Republic has an extremely low level of human development. The population of 5.2 million is 50 Read more