Melinda Gates's new book is not an attack on Catholicism but an honest accounting of how she came to be in conflict with the church while living her faith.

The Catholic Church in Ethiopia is leading peace and reconciliation efforts while it does what it can to help the millions of people who have fled their homes in an upsurge in communal violence.

For a population that has seen growing displacement, poverty, fighting and chaos over much of the past six years, it is a relief, Bishop Nongo-Aziagbia told Catholic News Service.

On June 12, Eritrean authorities closed all 22 of the nation’s church-run health care facilities.

"The injustices and sufferings still being inflicted by these executioners risk diverting us from God's path into a spiral of vengeance and cycle of violence," the bishops said.

The mineral-rich country has suffered persistent violence by armed groups, leaving 4.5 million people displaced and a fifth of the population needing basic assistance, according to the United Nations.