Africa

Pope calls for stepped-up evangelization of Africa

Pope calls for stepped-up evangelization of AfricaLuanda - Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday called for the further evangelization of the African continent on the second day of his first visit to Angola.

Five hundred years after Catholic missionaries began converting people in present-day Angola to Christianity - the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to be evangelized - many people still lacked direction and feared unholy spirits and powers, he told a mass attended by local bishops and priests in Luanda's Sao Paulo church.

Pope calls for stepped-up evangelization of Africa

Pope calls for stepped-up evangelization of Africa Luanda - Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday called for the further evangelization of the African continent on the second day of his first visit to Angola.

Five hundred years after Catholic missionaries began converting people in present-day Angola to Christianity - the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to be evangelized - many people still lacked direction and feared unholy spirits and powers, he told a mass attended by local bishops and priests in Luanda's Sao Paulo church.

Economic crisis hitting Africa hard, says bank official

Economic crisis hitting Africa hard, says bank officialGeneva  - Africa is not immune to the world's financial troubles, the head of the African Development Bank said Friday, asking that at the upcoming G20 international economic conference the continent not be forgotten.

"For us, in the low income countries, the crisis is reaching us and hitting very hard," Donald Kaberuka, the bank's president, said.

The continent was witnessing contractions in all major sectors "much faster than we thought."

Conflict remains endemic in most of Africa, UN says

Conflict remains endemic in most of Africa, UN says New York - The UN Security Council discussed Wednesday ways to improve cooperation with the African Union after a study showed that peace still does not exist in many parts of Africa despite the deployment of largescale UN peacekeeping operations.

"From the Horn to the Great Lakes to West Africa, conflict is endemic," said the study by a six-member panel headed by former Italian Prime Minister and European Union statesman Romano Prodi.

Brown in talks with African leaders ahead of G20 summit

Brown in talks with African leaders ahead of G20 summit London  - African leaders urged British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Monday not to allow the global economic crisis to dilute the commitments made on spending to developing nations.

The African leaders, including the presidents of Liberia, Tanzania and Botswana and the prime ministers of Kenya and Ethiopia, had come to London to ensure that the continent's voice will be heard at the summit of G20 nations in London on April 2.

Benedict to push reconciliation on first Africa papal visit

Benedict to push reconciliation on first Africa papal visitJohannesburg  - Four years after his ascension to the throne of St Peter, Pope Benedict XVI embarks on his maiden visit as pontiff this week to Africa, the continent where the Catholic Church is growing the fastest.

The pope's six-day visit takes him to Cameroon and Angola to meet with political and church leaders, lead young Catholics in prayer at two mass rallies and visit charities working with some of the world's poorest people.

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