Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwean government's crackdown on dissent terrifies people, the country's bishops said in a pastoral letter that also noted alarming levels of corruption.

The secretary general of the Zimbabwe bishops' conference told NCR that the pandemic has forced Zimbabwean Catholics to "reflect on other possibilities than what we are used to" in terms of faith practices.

The African nation has been devastated by an unprecedented climate-driven disaster gripping the southern part of the continent. A prolonged drought and a catastrophic hurricane have created a hunger crisis and heightened the risk of outbreaks of diseases associated with water shortages and poor sanitation.

Catholic bishops in Zimbabwe are working to salvage a solution to a health care crisis occasioned by a stand-off between the government and striking public hospital doctors.

Arrupe Jesuit University and the Catholic University of Zimbabwe in Harare have been registered as full-fledged universities and plan to expand degree offerings and open new campuses across the country.

Against the backdrop of a disputed election and worsening economic crisis, Catholic and other Christian leaders in Zimbabwe have called for seven years of no political contestation.

A Mass at the Mutemwa Leprosy Center kick-started the opening of the process for beatification and canonization of John Bradburne, a lay Franciscan who was martyred in Zimbabwe in 1979.

Malawi's bishops are taking the lead in Africa in embracing tech platforms as tools for evangelism and pastoral messages, especially for youth.