He was rector of the Mar Elian shrine and parish priest of the Syrian Catholic community of Qaryatayn in central Syria when, on 21 May, 2015, he was kidnapped by ISIS militants. Father Jacques Mourad tells us his story and also gives us a picture of the reality of life today in Syria. The sanctuary…
Read moreThis year marks the centenary of the birth of Focolare Movement founder Chiara Lubich. She is considered to be one of the most influential spiritual figures of the twentieth century. The Movement has moved beyond its origins in the Roman Catholic Church and now involves Christians of many Churches around the world. Silvia Lubich chose…
Read moreThe European Commission recognises that mining and extractive companies in Africa are responsible for 65% of tax fraud, i.e. the money that states in Africa fail to collect due to the Illicit Financial Flows (IFF). The mechanisms that the multinationals use for tax fraud are complex, such as tax avoidance, tax evasion and transfer pricing.…
Read moreThe arms trade criss-crosses the Sahel region. To the north highly organised networks of traffickers operate. On the opposite bank the local intermediaries come into play. The Niger River is over four thousand kilometres long. It is an impressive current of fresh water which, from the Loma Mountains, on the border between Sierra Leone and…
Read moreThe year 2020 is going to tell us a lot about the long-term future of our country. Are we going to pull ourselves out of the mud of corruption, incompetence and ignorance, and start to glimpse the ‘better life for all’ that we have been promised since 1994, or will we instead continue dithering around,…
Read moreThe latest ‘Peace’ plan, the so-called ‘Deal of the Century’ by US President Donald Trump has added more pressure on King Abdullah. Jordan plays a crucial role in President Trump’s ‘project’, which at its essence implies the retirement of the two-state solution (Israel and a Palestinian State, entirely independent, comprising of the entire West Bank,…
Read moreJordan is a country marked by ‘artificial’ borders, drawn on a map in the wake of World War I and the new world order that emerged from it. These borders extend from the fertile lands of the Jordan River and the shores of the Dead Sea, to the desert of Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.…
Read moreOn 22 November 2020, the Italian Comboni priest Father Giuseppe Ambrosoli will be beatified in Kalongo in the north of Uganda. A story of dedication to the poor as a doctor and missionary. It was the summer of 1949 when a young doctor asked to enter the Congregation of the Comboni Missionaries. In his letter…
Read moreIt is illegal in just seven countries. In the continent it is an industry with large profit margins. A market in rapid development due to the internet, smartphones and online payment systems. Is it harmless? A market worth billions of dollars. It is a transverse passion involving mostly young people but also women and the…
Read moreAfter targeting the President’s son, the Angolan justice, it has frozen the assets of his daughter, the richest woman of the continent and everyone now wonders whether the former head of state is next on the list. The wind of reform is blowing strongly in Angola since the election of the new president João Lourenço…
Read moreInevitably, the Jordanian government – and the political arrangement, which has taken decades to craft in order to achieve the present equilibrium among the Jordanian tribes, the Palestinians and the religious authorities – will lose legitimacy. The Jordanian monarch, pressed with the difficult decision of having to compromise the interests of the various political actors,…
Read moreA Benedictine theologian, activist, missionary and intellectual, Sr. Mary John Mananzan speaks of the Philippines of the past and of today. From the former dictator Ferdinando Marcos to the President now in power, Rodrigo Duterte. The Church has always offered resistance and will continue to do so, taking the side of the poor. “The Church…
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The river is sacred to the Kukama people, who believe that their ancestors reside on the river floor. They are ready to protect the Marañón…
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Like the other farmers, Taro also grew rice, wheat, and vegetables, living in peace and contentment. However, things never remain the same. One time, there was no rainfall,…
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From 24 to 27 July, hundreds of young people from the Comboni youth movements across Europe will gather in Milan, Verona, and Florence, Italy, in preparation…
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