Catholic Church
latest news & developments
South Africa’s dangerous drift away from sovereignty and nationhood
Transnational commitments are celebrated, while attachment to the nation‑state is treated with suspicion
Pope Leo a breath of fresh air in Trump’s belligerent world
The new pope’s gentle, yet powerful, voice of peace, ethical leadership and human solidarity contrasts sharply with Trump’s divisive rhetoric and militarism
Will the new pope continue support for ethical organ donation?
It is important for South Africa’s about 3.5 million Catholics to know that the church approves, especially given the low donor rates in the country
Road to Tanzania’s presidential election paved with blood and fear
In recent months, there has been a spate of abductions, assaults, arrests and murders, the victims all being opponents or critics of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government
Pope Francis as a shepherd of the marginalised in a world that wants to build empires
As empire builders use violence, greed and environmental destruction to attain their goals, we are in need of citizens of the Kingdom of God who live the gospel
Pope Francis: The end of a radical papacy born in the south
Francis refused the version of Catholicism that ingratiates itself with the powerful while abandoning the poor
The God Edition | Searching among the bones for Homo naledi’s soul
Drew Forrest uses one of South Africa’s most important hominid discoveries to debate the paradoxes and contradictions inherent in the religious doctrine of ‘ensoulment’
How ‘shantytown’ priest Gustavo Gutiérrez changed the world
He developed liberation theology, rooted in the lived experience of the oppressed, and committed to transforming unjust social and political structures
Let’s make a worthy God in our own image
If we make God in our image, let it not be the genocidal maniac worthy only of contempt but rather a God of kindness, worthy of our worship
Record number of Catholics leave German Church
Georg Baetzing, head of the German Bishops’ Conference, said the Church was on a path of reform and urged members “not to be discouraged”
The future of the Catholic church is being forged in Africa
The church on the continent is growing fast but not all clergy hold with the pope’s progressive ways
Expelled Kenya LGBTQI+ youths fight back
Kenyan students who are presumed to be gay are often kicked out of school, but queer activists are putting this practice on notice
Mozambique’s Rapale camp: A transit to nowhere
The strife in Cabo Delgado has displaced more than 800 000 people. Some have found their way to the Rapale transit centre, where they are struggling to survive as foreign and…
Pope Francis updates canon law to address paedophilia by priests
Since becoming pope in 2013, the Argentine pontiff has striven to tackle the decades-long sexual abuse scandals involving Catholic priests around the globe.
Crisis, what crisis? How not to handle a pandemic
So far, most countries on the African continent are dealing with Covid-19, but not all leaders are taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously