Kidnapped priest in Nigeria regains freedom after 2 months in captivity

Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku of Sudan’s El Obeid Diocese. Credit: CRN

ACI Africa, Dec 26, 2025 / 15:37 pm (CNA).

In a country battered by violence, displacement, and fear, the 2025 Christmas message of Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andali of Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of El-Obeid addressed the people of God in the midst of their suffering and the fragile hope still carried by the celebration of Christmas.

For Trille, the Christmas proclamation is rooted in God’s fidelity, since “the birth of Christ is the manifestation of the glory of our God,” revealing his promise of salvation and peace for the whole of creation.

Through Christ’s birth, he explained, “the gate of heaven is opened for us” and reconciliation becomes possible because “the birth of Christ opens the way for our reconciliation with our Creator.”

He drew a parallel between the manger and Sudan’s humanitarian crisis, saying: “Seeing the baby Jesus in the manger describes the situation of all those of us in our country who remain without shelter and in fear.”

“Our diocese in Kordofan has become the battleground after Darfur,” he said, adding that a ”number of its parishes are deserted and desecrated.” The impact on pastoral life is severe, he lamented, noting: “There are no priests to celebrate sacred sacraments for the faithful.”

Sudan’s civil war broke out on April 15, 2023. The violent conflict is between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary force under Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and army units of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) that are loyal to the head of Sudan’s transitional governing Sovereign Council, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

It started in Sudan’s capital city, Khartoum, before becoming a full-fledged civil war in the entire northeastern African nation. It has reportedly resulted in the death of “as many as 150,000 people”; well over 14 million people have been displaced, including to unstable countries such as Chad, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, where they have reportedly overrun refugee camps.

With some 30.4 million people in need of humanitarian aid in Sudan, reportedly more than half of country’s population, Sudan quite possibly has the highest number of people in need ever recorded and the highest number of internally displaced globally, more than 12 million having fled violence in the country in the last two years.

Sudan also has the highest number of people in emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger, “with over 600,000 people living in famine and 8 million others on the cliff edge,” according to an April report.

As Sudan approaches the 70th anniversary of independence in 2026, Trille made a pastoral appeal rooted in compassion and faith. He called the people of God to see themselves as “brothers and sisters in solidarity, weeping with parents and relatives of those who mourn the killed,” and to remember the words of Jesus: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Gathering testimony, prayer, and hope together, he exhorted, “let us make our hearts the manger where the baby Jesus can live to help us renew our lives and live peace.”

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

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Four new priests and six new deacons were ordained for South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio on Jan. 4, 2026. | Credit: Ruru Gene News/Sister Laurencila, FSSA

Jan 11, 2026 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The four newly ordained priests and six newly ordained deacons for South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio have been reminded of the urgency of their mission in the contemporary world, especially in communities wounded by conflict, poverty, and division.

In his Jan. 4 homily during the ordination Mass that coincided with the solemnity of the Epiphany at St. Augustine Parish in the diocese, Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala reflected on the role of priests in reconciling broken communities, forming consciences through education, restoring dignity among the poor, and remaining steadfast where fear and suffering persist.

“I am not ordaining you for an ideal country,” Hiiboro said and described South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, as a nation deeply loved by God and in need of committed pastoral leadership.

He noted that the Church sends priests into real situations marked by fragility but also hope.

The bishop, who serves as the president of the Integral Human Development Commission of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, further urged those he was ordaining to be stars in guiding others to Jesus Christ in their respective ministries.

Hiiboro reflected on the story of the Magi and reminded the new priests and deacons that ordination does not replace Christ but points others toward him.

Reflecting on the star that guided the three Wise Men from the East to see the infant Jesus, Hiiboro urged the newly ordained deacons and priests to allow their lives to guide people to Jesus through faithfulness and witness.

“As the Magi followed the star and found Christ, you are now sent to be stars, guiding others to Jesus,” the bishop said.

Calling for unity among members of the clergy as one of the most powerful forms of preaching, the South Sudanese bishop encouraged fraternity, shared prayer, and forgiveness, reminding the clergy that love among priests is a visible sign of discipleship.

The bishop cautioned against constant complaint and division among members of the clergy, warning that such attitudes weaken vocation and harm communities.

Instead, he encouraged priests to embrace the cross of Christ, noting that suffering, when embraced with humility, sanctifies — but destroys one who rejects it.

Discouraging a “celebrity mentality” among priests, Hiiboro said the Church is more concerned with “holy shepherds rooted in the daily realities of the people.” Holiness, the bishop explained, is not an escape from life but faithfulness within it.

He urged priests never to abandon prayer, warning that a priest who stops praying gradually loses direction.

The South Sudanese Church leader went on to describe the three evangelical vows — celibacy, obedience, and simplicity/poverty — as paths to inner freedom, not limitations, which help priests overcome ego, attachment, and isolation.

Hiiboro, referencing the words of Pope Francis, urged priests to remain close to the communities they serve, portraying them as agents of peace, defenders of human dignity, promoters of education, and advocates for food security and self-reliance.

He emphasized that such involvement is not political activism but a genuine expression of living the Gospel.

The bishop also cited examples of saints who made a lasting impact on society through faith and service, including St. Benedict of Nursia, St. Daniel Comboni, St. Josephine Bakhita, and St. John Bosco — noting that they demonstrated courage even in challenging and imperfect circumstances.

The bishop also urged those he was ordaining to embrace their priestly identity with confidence, reminding them that their very presence, conduct, and appearance already preach before words are spoken.

This article was originally published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted for CNA.

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Members of law enforcement work the scene following a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on January 07, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Credit: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Jan 19, 2026 / 09:34 am (CNA).

Winona-Rochester Bishop Robert Barron has called on federal immigration officials to focus on deporting only serious criminals while also urging U.S. protesters to “cease interfering” with the work of immigration agents.

The bishop’s plea comes amid heightened national tensions in response to mass deportations and the killing of a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis.

Barron issued the statement on Jan. 18 via X. A native of Chicago, he was made bishop of the southern Minnesota diocese in 2022.

The prelate made the remarks as officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continue enhanced deportations of immigrants in the country illegally. The mass deportation effort is a major part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s domestic policy in his second term.

Tensions were heightened greatly on Jan. 7 when an ICE officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis as she apparently engaged in a protest of ICE enforcement in the city.

Good had partially blocked a street with her car and was approached by ICE agents, who ordered her out of the vehicle; when she attempted to speed away she allegedly struck ICE agent Jonathan Ross with her car. Ross shot and killed her in response. The killing generated national outrage and major protests throughout the country.

‘There is a way out’

Barron, who regularly weighs in on Catholic and other issues in the public sphere, said on X that his “heart is breaking” over the “violence, retribution, threats, protests, deep suspicion of one another, political unrest [and] fear” that has spread throughout Minnesota in recent weeks.

Offering “a modest proposal” for resolving “this unbearable state of affairs,” Barron urged immigration officials to “limit themselves, at least for the time being, to rounding up undocumented people who have committed serious crimes.”

“Political leaders should stop stirring up resentment against officers who are endeavoring to enforce the laws of the country,” he continued. “And protestors should cease interfering with the work of ICE.”

Americans, meanwhile, “must stop shouting at one another and demonizing their opponents.”

“Where we are now is untenable. There is a way out,” the bishop said.

Minneapolis is only the latest flashpoint in ongoing national unrest over the federal government’s immigration actions, one that has touched the U.S. Catholic Church in numerous ways.

Multiple U.S. bishops have issued dispensations from Mass for those who are afraid of being arrested and deported, including the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the Diocese of San Bernardino, and numerous others.

In December of 2025 ICE agents arrested a Catholic church employee in Minnesota, after which they surveilled the parish, with the church pastor claiming the agents were “terrorizing” locals “just by their presence.”

Church leaders have regularly attempted to reach out to immigrants who have been targeted for deportation by ICE. In November of 2025 Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila and Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodriguez led the Stations of the Cross at an ICE detention facility in Aurora, while prelates such as Lincoln Bishop James Conley have urged the government to allow pastoral access to detained immigrants.

At their November 2025 plenary assembly, the U.S. bishops declared their opposition to the indiscriminate mass deportation of immigrants in the country illegally. The bishops urged the government to respect the dignity of migrants as well.

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