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Christian educators and other church leaders in Togo are eagerly turning the pages of a new resource for children, a curriculum entitled “Because God Loves Me—Affirming My Value in Christ,” published by the World Council of Churches (WCC).

The members of the Ecumenical Forum for Peace and Justice in Cameroon, representing churches, church-based organizations, and networks committed to accompanying the churches and people of Cameroon, expressed in a statement how appalled they are by the continuing violence and targeted sectarian attacks against people and communities, including religious leaders and places of worship in Cameroon.

Depuis sa création en 2016, le Centre international pour la paix et l’harmonie interreligieuses (International Centre for Inter-Faith Peace and Harmony – ICIPH) de Kaduna, au Nigeria, a constitué un cadre d'artisans de la paix, témoins de la paix et de l'harmonie interreligieuses. Il reste un symbole physique pour aider les musulmans et les chrétiens à travailler ensemble plus efficacement.

In the years since it was founded in 2016, the International Centre for Inter-Faith Peace and Harmony in Kaduna, Nigeria has been building a cadre of peacemakers who are witnesses to inter-religious peace and harmony. It also continues to serve as a physical symbol helping Muslims and Christians work together more effectively.

Dans l'État de Kaduna, au nord-ouest du Nigeria, les chrétiens font les frais de l'insécurité et de la violence. Des bandits s'attaquent aux maisons, aux villages et aux Églises, tuant des chrétiens et en enlevant d'autres pour obtenir une rançon.

La persécution religieuse, l'ambition territoriale et le nettoyage ethnique sont au cœur de la violence communautaire dans la région, où les communautés se sont installées en fonction de leur religion, selon le pasteur John Joseph Hayab, directeur national de la Global Peace Foundation (Fondation mondiale pour la paix) au Nigeria.

 

The All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) are calling for justice for Memory Machaya, a 14-year-old who died while giving birth at the shrine of the Johanne Marange Apostolic Church. 

In Nigeria’s northwest state of Kaduna, Christians are bearing the brunt of insecurity and violence, as bandits attack homes, villages and churches, killing Christians and kidnapping others for ransom.

At the centre of the communal violence is religious persecution, territorial ambition and ethnic cleansing in the region where communities have settled along religious lines, according to Rev. John Joseph Hayab, the country director for the Global Peace Foundation, Nigeria.

 

Church leaders in South Africa and Zimbabwe are participating in online workshops on “Churches and Child Safeguarding” on 3 and 5 August. Part of the World Council of Churches (WCC) partnership program with UNICEF, “Churches’ Commitments to Children,” the workshops are designed to nurture churches where children feel welcome and safe.

During National Ecumenical Prayers for Peaceful Elections in Zambia, held 1 August, religious and civic leaders gathered in-person and online to pray for peaceful elections in the nation, which has been coping with a rise in violence during the lead-up to 12 August voting.

Religious leaders are participating in online training on male engagement in Zimbabwe, 12-16 July. The participants are drawn from diverse faith communities and will come up with action plans to enhance their work with boys and men.

A 12 July statement from the South African Council of Churches notes with deep concern the violence and destruction of property that is engulfing the nation. “This violence is resulting in untold suffering,” the statement reads.

More than 140 people met online in a spontaneous “Gathering in Grief” to mourn Rev. Phumzile Mabizela, who passed away the morning of on 5 July. Mabizela was the executive director of INERELA+ (the International Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV), co-moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance HIV Campaign Strategy Group and a member of the International Reference Group of WCC Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy.

The Religious Forum Against COVID-19 in South Africa issued a statement with faith leaders standing in solidarity in response to COVID-19, and with a broader objective of collaborating in making for a safer South African environment.