Sierra Leone limits physical contact at Mass amid mpox outbreak
A shanty town in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in November 2013. / Ilona Budzbon/Aid to the Church in Need.
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 31, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).
Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week.
*Sierra Leone limits physical contact at Mass amid mpox outbreak *
Freetown Archbishop Edward Tamba Charles has issued new directives in line with public health orders to guide public worship following a rapid increase in mpox cases in the West African nation of Sierra Leone.
“As a local Church, we need to do everything possible to protect ourselves from the disease and also contain its spread by carefully observing the guidelines announced by health authorities,” he said in a May 25 statement shared with ACI Africa, CNA's African news partner.
Most of the directives limit physical interactions during public liturgical celebrations, including Mass.
The country has registered a total of 3,011 cases of the virus—formerly known as monkeypox—since the start of the outbreak in January, with 14 deaths reported.
*Caritas Angola launching initiative to combat gender-based violence*
Caritas Angola launched a new “Women and Life” initiative on Thursday, aimed to empower and address the challenge of gender-based violence in the southern African nation, ACI Africa reported.
“This project extends Caritas' mission — to promote, defend, and uplift the most vulnerable. It’s not just about immediate assistance; it’s about giving women the tools to be self-sufficient and become agents of transformation in their communities,” the organization’s national secretary, João Nicolau Manuel, told ACI Africa.
The initiative is now being rolled out across the Angolan Catholic dioceses of Luanda, Viana, and Caxito.
“We aim to form women not only with technical skills but with human and Christian values – love, hope, and peace. These are essential for building a just and compassionate society,” Manuel added.
*Myanmar military junta strikes majority-Catholic refugee camp for third time *
Reports have emerged that the ruling military government in Myanmar has bombed a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), home to “hundreds of ethnic, mostly Catholic Karenni, who fled the armed conflict,” for the third time in less than a year, according to an AsiaNews report on Thursday.
Two bombs were allegedly dropped on the Bangkok IDP camp on May 15, striking a school and several houses.
While no casualties were reported in the latest attack, according to the Myanmar Peace Monitor, the first attack in September of 2024 killed nine civilians, while the second in November killed one and caused “serious damage” to a church and its rectory.
*Church in Qatar concludes catechetical year with special Mass
*The parish of Our Lady of the Rosary in Doha, the capital of Qatar, concluded the 2024–2025 catechetical year with a "Harvest Mass" celebrated last Friday, according to ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner.
The liturgy was presided over by Marian Father Charbel Mhanna, pastor of the Maronite community in Qatar, and attended by catechism students and their volunteer instructors.
The Catholic Church in Qatar provides catechetical instruction to nearly 1,000 Arabic-speaking students from various Catholic rites. The students receive weekly lessons throughout the academic year, taught by dedicated volunteer educators.
*Syrian President Al-Shara meets with heads of churches in Aleppo*
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Shara met with the heads of Christian communities and their representatives in the first meeting with bishops of the Syrian city since the fall of the Assad regime in December of 2024, ACI MENA reported on Thursday.
The Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo, Boutros Qassis, described the meeting as “frank, open, and far from complimentary,” noting that he made sure to bring the urgent concerns of Christians to the Syrian leader.
Qassis said Sharaa told them that “establishing security and peace is his main concern in this period.”