"Tens of thousands of homes have been damaged or destroyed,” Persiana Kamberaj, head of programs for Catholic Relief Services in Khartoum, said, adding that flooding has ignited an urgent need for humanitarian aid.

Brother O'Connell, 72, a native of Mallow, Ireland, has turned many young runners into Olympic and world champions.

Since the beginning of the attacks in the province of Cabo Delgado in 2017, Bishop Lisboa has been one of the few voices calling attention to the violence and its social consequences.

While reciting the Angelus, Pope Francis urged people to pray for various intentions, including praying for those suffering from the pandemic.

A Catholic sociologist has said that if women were allowed to participate in governmental affairs in Africa, their input would have an impact on how the pandemic and its associated problems are handled.

Nigerian bishops have asked Catholics in their country to pray with the intention that the killings in southern Kaduna state cease.