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Yearly Archives: 2022

UK-Rwanda. “Offshoring migrants”: a controversial deal.

The UK and Rwanda have signed an unprecedented deal to transfer asylum seekers to the tiny African country in return for a cash package. NGOs, opposition parties and UN bodies disapprove. Rwanda’s President Kagame denies that that deal may consist in trading human beings, while Denmark is considering to follow UK’s example. On the last…

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The Unending Saga of Jacob Zuma.

The former president faces two important trials. At the moment, he has only been in prison for three weeks. The strategy is to extend the trial time in order to prevent him from returning to prison because of his advanced age. In June 2021 Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa from 2009 to 2018, was…

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South Africa. A Bitter Season.

Next December, the African National Congress will hold its five-yearly elective conference. President Cyril Ramaphosa will be looking for a second term as party leader, in view of the 2024 general elections. Weakened by internal struggles and weak governance, the African National Congress may split in two at the December congress. For many political parties…

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Bolivia. The ‘Andean romeria’. A Festive Path among Songs and Prayers.

The pilgrimages of the various Andean communities are a combination of ancestral traditions and Christian spirituality. The pilgrimage festivals take place between the months of September and October, which according to the Andean agricultural calendar are the months for sowing. The pilgrimage is prepared one year in advance when an organiser is selected for the…

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IX Summit of the Americas. From the Pandemic to Ukraine.

The ninth summit of the Americas, which brings together all the presidents of the continent, will take place from 6 to 10 June in Los Angeles. Washington’s real priority is to reach an “immigration pact”. It is a political initiative conceived during the Clinton administration to accompany the process of economic integration, which its predecessor,…

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Ukraine youth. Fighting for Freedom.

In just a few weeks. The dreams and lives of many Ukrainian young people have been completely destroyed. But they continue to fight for their future and that of their country. Veronika, 19, says: “The months before the war were the best of my life. I was in the second year of university. But the…

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Dancing for Water.

There had been a terrible drought, with intense heat that had dried up the rivers, streams and springs, until there was no water anywhere. The animals wandered far and wide in search of water, but could not find any. Nowhere was water freely flowing. The animals held a meeting, and all of the large animals…

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Is Ukraine Putin’s holy war?

Putin’s mother may or may not have been a closet Orthodox Christian who had her son secretly baptized. Metropolitan (head of a major diocese) Tikhon, friend of Putin, first trained as a screenwriter, is known for his ultraconservative nationalist theology, his opposition to democracy and support for censorship as well as his promotion of Orthodoxy…

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The Philippines. Towards a new “Flowers and Rosaries Revolution”.

On May 9, the Philippines will be the scene of multiple elections that will have particular importance and, in all likelihood, also significant consequences. There are so many issues on the table, so many personalities, and so much at stake for this archipelago of 300 thousand square kilometres, fragmented into over seven thousand islands which…

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Peru. The Asheninka. Mijado, the Time for Sharing.

By the word mijado this indigenous people, living in the rainforests of Peru, refers to the time of migration of fish and fishing activity, an occasion to strengthen the ties of friendship and brotherhood with loved ones, members of the same communities, or other communities. Basically, mijado is the time for sharing. Before talking about…

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UN Member States must not walk away from treaty on business and human rights.

As the power of corporations has grown, so should their responsibility towards human rights and our planet. Yet the reality is that around the world, harms to people’s rights through business activities continue to take place with impunity. In 2014 the UN Human Rights Council started a process to establish a treaty to regulate transnational corporations…

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Ukraine. Churches Divided by War.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is also having serious consequences on the ecclesial level in the complicated landscape of the Orthodox Churches. The situation is aggravated by the support of the patriarch of Moscow, Kirill, for Putin’s military invasion. An analysis. For three years, the Orthodox Church in Ukraine has been divided into two…

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Advocacy

Maria Ressa. Information that gives hope.

“We want to create a federation of international journalistic organisations that collaborate in this effort, starting from the global South,” says Filipino journalist and 2022…

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Baobab

The Leopard, the Dog and the Tortoise.

Once upon a time, there was a leopard. He had a huge walnut tree that was full of nuts. Stingy as he was, however, he forbade…

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Youth & Mission

Mission. In the school of life and humanity.

Three young Comboni missionaries from three continents share their vocation stories and missionary experiences. Fr Victor Cunanan Parungao from the Philippines reflects on 15 years of…

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