Ethiopian and Eritrean Catholics in South Africa marked World Mission Sunday with a call for unity

Ethiopian and Eritrean Catholics from the Archdioceses of Johannesburg and Pretoria gathered at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Germiston to celebrate World Mission Sunday. Fr. Kifle Kintamo Kirba, an Ethiopian Comboni missionary serving in South Africa, presided over the celebration.

Fr. Kirba told the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference communication office that Mission Sunday reminds Catholics living far from home to maintain their connection with the Church despite the challenges of migrant life. He said faith should inspire integration into local communities, respect for others, and ethical business practices.

Fr. Kirba also called for prayer, reconciliation, and understanding in the Horn of Africa due to tensions affecting Eritrea and the wider region. He noted that Ethiopians and Eritreans share historical and social bonds and continue to support one another in their daily lives despite political divisions.