Catholic Church in Burkina Faso

Catholic Church in Burkina Faso
Catholic Church in Burkina Faso
	Cathedral of Ouagadougou
Type	National polity
Classification	Catholic
Orientation	Latin, Maronite
Governance	Conférence des Evêques de Burkina Faso et du Niger
Pope	Francis
Apostolic Nuncio	Michael Francis Crotty
Region	Burkina Faso
Members	ca. 3,494,000
Official website	https://catholique.bf/

The Catholic Church in Burkina Faso is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. According to the CIA Factbook, in 2018, 17% of the population are members of the Catholic Church.^[3]

History

The first Catholics to enter what is today Burkina Faso arrived with the French colonialists in 1896.^[4] In 1900 and 1901 Catholic missions were established at Koupéla and Ouagadougou, respectively and Joanny Thévenoud, a missionary helped to firmly establish Catholicism in the country over the following five decades.^[4] Abbé Yougbaré was consecrated as the Bishop of Koupéla on 29 February 1956 and became the first African Catholic bishop.^[4] In 1961, upon invitation from local Catholics participating at the "International Meetings" at the monastery of Toumliline, the Benedictine established the abbey of Saint-Benoît de Koubri.^[5]

Persecution

There have been several incidences of persecution against the Catholic Church in Burkina Faso over the past years. Recent cases include an attack on the minor seminary of Saint Kisito de Bougui, in February, which caused no fatalities, but much material damage.^[6] In July 2022 the diocese of Fadi N'Gourma stated that only 5% of its parishes were now accessible for pastoral work, due to the increased threat of Islamist terrorists in the region.^[7] An attack in a village in the Diocese of Nouna, also in July 2022, caused at least 22 fatalities, according to official numbers, though some witnesses spoke of up to 30 killed.^[8] In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need, in August 2022, Catholic priest Honoré Quedraogo said that the attackers "force the Burkinabé to follow Sharia. Men are forced to wear trousers of adequate length, and forbidden from shaving their beards, and women have to be veiled. Western-style education is banned, and children are made to attend Koranic schools, called Madrassas. Churches must not ring their bells, and everyone is required to participate in prayers at the mosques".^[9]

In November 2022 a Burkinabé priest, Pierre Rouamba, said that he has noticed that the attacks are increasingly being directed against Christians. In some cases, terrorists not only burn down the church building, but also destroy the crosses as a demonstration of their intention to wipe out the Christian faith.^[10] At least 15 Catholics were killed in an attack on 25 February 2024 in Essakane, in the diocese of Dori. According to bishop Justin Kientega of Ouahigouya: “There were 47 people in the Chapel for Sunday morning celebration of the Word, led by their catechist. There were 17 men and the rest were women and children. The terrorists came and killed 12 – 9 people were killed at the chapel and 3 others died from their injuries – all males, but there were also two children among the dead, a four-year-old and a 14-year-old.”^[11] In April of the same year Edouard Yougbare, a catechist from the parish of Saatenga in Fada Gourma, was abducted by terrorists and murdered.^[12]

Dioceses

References

^ "Burkina Faso (Nunciature) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
^ "Catholic Church in Burkina Faso". gcatholic.org. GCatholic.org. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
^ "The World Factbook". CIA World Factbook. 2018. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso, by Lawrence Rupley, Lamissa Bangali, Boureima Diamitani, 2013, Third edition, Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8108-6770-3
^ Bicknell, Julia (9 November 2022). "'Spirit of Toumliline' Interfaith Inquiry Lives On 50 Years After Moroccan Monastery Closed". Religion Unplugged. Institute for Nonprofit News. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
^ CNA. "Minor seminary attacked". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
^ ACN (2022-07-22). "Islamic terrorism in Burkina Faso". ACN International. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
^ ACN (2022-07-06). "Burkina Faso: Murdered in front of their church". ACN International. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
^ "In Burkina Faso, "Faith, not guns, is what will save us"". Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture. 2022-10-10. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
^ "Terrorism gains ground in Burkina Faso". ACN International. 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
^ ACN (2024-03-01). "Burkina Faso: Living with terror in the "land of people of integrity"". ACN International. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
^ ACN (2024-04-22). "Breaking News: Catechist kidnapped and killed in Burkina Faso". ACN International. Retrieved 2024-04-29.