More than a century and a half ago, Christian missionaries from the West brought the Gospel message of Jesus Christ to the peoples of Africa. One of the inherent weaknesses of this evangelisation process was the imposition of Western ways of believing and thinking on the African people of God. However, since every church is Read more
Teaching Catholic missionaries at a Catholic university where they can be educated in mission theology and pastoral outreach is important, says Pope Francis. Francis says it is essential that the Pontifical Urban University keeps its centuries-old focus on preparing missionaries who come from and go out to the world and its varied cultures. The university’s Read more
A new report indicates that Spain leads the world in terms of the number of Catholic missionaries serving abroad, with almost 10,000 Spanish priests, nuns, and brothers working in Latin America and other corners of the world. It’s also in second place in terms of financial support for missionary activity. Such a commitment is obviously Read more
Vatican diplomatic corps members should first spend a year in ministry or as missionaries, Pope Francis has announced. Francis’s announcement approved a written suggestion made at the recent synod for the Amazon which asked for the current curriculum for trainee diplomats to change. Instead of doing an internship at the nunciature as happens now, trainees Read more
Pope Francis has honoured four priests and a nun for their distinguished service to the Catholic Church in Timor-Leste. Holy See representative, Monsignor Marco Sprizzi, presented the missionaries with the Decoration of Honor. This honour is given by the pope to laypeople and clergy for outstanding contributions to the Church. Read more
Staff at a British Catholic charity were baffled when a handwritten letter arrived from a remote parish in the South Pacific Solomon Islands seeking help to build a new church. With no internet access, how could the parish priest have got their address in Cirencester, an English country town? And how could he know his Read more
Chinese authorities have detained 21 Japanese missionaries over the past few weeks. The missionaries were working in several southwestern provinces and in the northwestern autonomous region of Ningxia. The detention of the 21 Christian group members is thought to be part of the Chinese authorities’ efforts to crack down on missionary work. They are categorising missionary Read more
A murder at a Southern French retirement home for Catholic missionaries has sparked a huge police search. The home is in the village of Montferrier-sur-Lez, near the city of Montpellier. Read more
Kiwis Lindsay and Denise Christie went to Colombia in the 1960s and eventually founded a charity called Conviventia, which now works throughout Latin America to empower marginalised communities. Fifty years later, their grand-daughter Adriana Avendano Christie, 24, and her partner Gabriel Acuna-Caruajal, 30, have started charity which is a social enterprise called The Pallet Kingdom Read more
A Spanish priest infected with the Ebola virus in Liberia is the first patient to be sent back to Europe with the deadly disease. An air force plane from Spain was sent on August 6 to get Fr Miguel Pajares, 75, who was in West Africa doing missionary work. The illness has claimed the lives Read more