News from Sudan and Egypt: Centenary of the Sakakini Church and 25th anniversary of the ‘St Bakhita’ Centre

Beirut – Pastoral care of migrants to reach out to society
The Apostolic Vicar of Beirut, Mgr. César Essayan, presided over the Eucharist with a group of migrants who usually gather in Badaro, Beirut. On the happy occasion, the bishop stressed that, since many migrants work in Lebanese homes, their presence is an opportunity for the Latin Church to reach all those homes where the gospel could not otherwise reach. In this way, migrants are not the ‘object’ but the ‘subject’ of the Church’s work of evangelisation, which is carried out not only by bishops and priests, but by the whole People of God. The day of conviviality, which began with a moment of formation led by Father Faustin Mboka, ended, after the Eucharist, with a fraternal agape. The Badaro migrants' group was born on the initiative of Father Claude Ondongar, when, still a student at the Jesuit University of St Joseph, he had the idea of creating an opportunity for Catholic migrants present in north Beirut to meet.

Sudan – News from Khartoum and Kosti
In recent weeks there has been a notable advance by the regular army forces in Khartoum, with reports and videos showing several members of the Rapid Support Forces leaving the capital. With the arrival of the army in Bahri (North Khartoum), for the first time in over 18 months, we have heard from the provincial house, which fortunately appears to be in good condition. The clashes in the capital’s central areas (Souq Arabi, where the Comboni College is located) and southern areas (Azhari and Soba) continue to be very heavy.
In Kosti, the destruction of the nearby power station has caused the power outage for a fortnight now, complicating life in the city, where the lack of running water is increasing cases of cholera. Unfortunately, both sides in the conflict seem unwilling to even consider negotiating an end to hostilities.