Tawanda Karombo

Climate change and economic hardships are not only making life difficult for ordinary citizens in Malawi, but also they are posing challenges to the church, as humanitarian and Catholic agencies step up interventions.

In a pastoral letter, Zimbabwe's Catholic bishops urged calm as the country prepares for a presidential election Aug. 23: "The contest for the highest office in the land ... should not divide us as a nation."

Throughout Africa, the supply of secondhand clothing from Western countries far outpaces the demand, and the trade's environmental hazards extend into river, ocean, urban and forest ecosystems across the continent.

Nigeria’s elections come amid violence, poverty and lawlessness. But Catholic bishops and priests in Nigeria are not losing hope for a better Nigeria after the elections.

An unexpected, deadly cyclone in Mozambique kickstarted its climate emergency preparedness. Now, a multilayered strategy is helping the country adapt to and withstand intense weather conditions tied to climate change.

Environmentalists say Nigeria's leading presidential candidates have put climate change on the backburner of the campaign agenda. Instead, the politicians prioritize economic revival in their messages, said campaigners.

Many Zambians rely on charcoal for a living. Yet charcoal production in Zambia drives high rates of deforestation. With help from Catholic Relief Services, a group of Zambian youth is campaigning against charcoal.

Economic challenges in southern Africa are disrupting the work of priests and other Catholic religious groups, forcing many to cancel or postpone crucial church programs.

Companies are turning African communal lands into commercial crop production fields, via controversial land deals. Communities are taking a stand, backed by Catholic bishops and development organizations.

Catholic-run hospitals in Zimbabwe face staff shortages and power outages as the country deals with high inflation. "We have to keep going to work even when the conditions are very difficult to keep working," one doctor said.

After a gunmen killed about 40 parishioners during Mass at St. Francis Parish in Owo, the atmosphere across many Catholic parishes in Nigeria has transformed into one of fear and trepidation, priests told NCR.

Security and safety risks for priests and Catholic humanitarian workers have escalated in Ethiopia at a time when millions of citizens need aid and relief in a conflict raging for 14 months. 

Despite a recent escalation in violence across South Sudan, including a spate of attacks against clergy, Catholic leaders in the country continue to hope that Pope Francis will be able to finally visit.

Although many African nations have abolished use of the death penalty in the past decade, Botswana's government claims it can be a good deterrent to prevent violent crimes; some parts of South Africa's society are calling to reinstate it, too.

A recent court victory against a copper mine highlights what activists say is widespread lack of enforcement of environmental regulations in the lucrative, polluting business of mining in Africa.

With communication and access to Ethiopia's Tigray region cut off, Catholic relief and other humanitarian agencies are having difficulty responding to those in need there and in refugee camps in neighboring Sudan.

To head off deadly consequences of climate change and help farmers adapt, Catholic agencies are funding agro-ecology learning centers and solar-powered community wells in southern African countries. 

A year after Pope Francis' visit to Mozambique, where he lauded leaders for forging a peace deal, the nation is now besieged by an Islamic insurgency that has displaced hundreds of thousands.

The bishops' pastoral letter was deeply reflective of what Zimbabweans have been saying on social media using the hashtag #ZimbabweanLivesMatter. The pastoral letter said the struggle in Zimbabwe has "resulted in a multi-layered crisis of the convergence of economic collapse, deepening poverty, food insecurity, corruption and human rights abuses."

In sub-Saharan Africa, Catholic relief agencies, priests and mental health experts are having to double up their efforts as a result of the increased number of people living with mental health conditions because of COVID-19 stressors.