Africa
African Catholic bishops see pope’s November visit as way to ignite faith
By Fredrick Nzwili — June 17, 2015
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) Francis plans to visit the Central African Republic, then Uganda, and will possibly stop in Kenya in his first visit to the continent as pope.
Black clergy plan African tour to fight homophobia
By Eliel Cruz — April 16, 2015
They’re out to combat messages from anti-LGBT evangelicals
Does ‘religious freedom’ give Tanzanian witchdoctors the right to murder albinos?
By Brian Pellot — March 13, 2015
Of course not. When acting on your beliefs extinguishes another’s right to life, you lose.
Former pastor collects women’s underwear–but for good reason
By Jonathan Merritt — February 10, 2015
Bras are the hottest item in the second-hand clothing market. A former pastor uses them to provide jobs for sex trafficking survivors in Sub-Saharan Africa.
4 things HIV can teach us about fighting Ebola (COMMENTARY)
By Dale Hanson Bourke — November 26, 2014
(RNS) AIDS has gone from being viewed as a terrifying plague to being understood as a chronic and preventable disease. While Ebola continues to cause great fear and confusion, there are lessons to learn from combating HIV/AIDS.
In Africa, church leaders responding to climate change locally and globally
By Fredrick Nzwili — October 6, 2014
(RNS) In Africa, droughts have become more severe and are frequently followed by excessive rains or floods.
Ebola patient Dr. Kent Brantly releases statement: ‘I am writing this update from my isolation room’
By Sarah Pulliam Bailey — August 8, 2014
(RNS) The missionary who is being treated for Ebola explains why he was in Liberia.
Church of England approves women bishops in historic vote
By Trevor Grundy — July 14, 2014
CANTERBURY, England (RNS) The first woman bishop could be named by the end of the year with the appointment of at least three additional women sometime in 2015. In parts of Africa, it may take longer.
At Angelina Jolie-chaired summit, faith leaders work to end sexual violence
By Brian Pellot — June 11, 2014
LONDON (RNS) Religious leaders from across Africa and England came together Wednesday (June 11) to discuss the role clergy should play in preventing and responding to sexual violence.
African clergy join fight to save elephants and rhinos from poaching
By Fredrick Nzwili — March 26, 2014
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) The escalating slaughter of elephants and rhinos is drawing the anger of conservationist clerics, who have begun enlisting church members in the battle to save Africa’s wildlife.
African church leaders resist gay rights, call it a colonial import
By Fredrick Nzwili — March 6, 2014
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) A call for greater acceptance of gays and lesbians has put African and Western churches on a collision course, as some African clerics liken mounting criticism from the U.S. and Europe to a new wave of colonization by the West.
In rare public split, Catholic bishops differ sharply on anti-gay laws
By David Gibson — February 13, 2014
(RNS) The emergence of punitive measures against gay people in various countries has opened a stark and public fissure among church leaders in different nations. The divisions are also raising questions about whether Pope Francis needs to take action.
Church of England’s call for dialogue on gays rebuffed in Africa
By Trevor Grundy — January 30, 2014
(RNS) Ahead of his five-day visit to Africa, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby issued a statement reminding Anglicans of the commitment the Church of England made to the pastoral care of gays and lesbians. So far, the statement has not convinced African leaders.
COMMENTARY: The church’s role in, and against, homophobia across Africa
By Gay Clark Jennings — January 27, 2014
(RNS) Western Christians cannot fix the homophobia that's currently gripping Nigeria, Uganda, or other African countries. We can, however, stand in solidarity with progressive Africans and support their efforts to teach new ways of interpreting the Bible and understanding sexuality.
Why authoritarian regimes support religion
By Tobin Grant — January 6, 2014
Depending on how you measure it, the largest Catholic church building in the world isn’t St. Peters in Rome. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest church is Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire (video below). The impressive structure was built and paid for in the 1980s by the country’s authoritarian president […]
