The Church in Africa, from its very beginning in the early centuries, has always been a Church of martyrs, and this is true down to our day. The memory of these witnesses to the faith is not forgotten indeed they are honoured by the whole Church. The African martyrology includes familiar names such as Felicity, a slave and Perpetua her mistress (mentioned in the Missal), and passes by way of the Ugandan martyrs burned alive in 1885, beatified in 1920 and canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1964, to the slaughter of missionaries in the 1960s in Congo: Kongolo 1962, Kisangani and Wamba 1964, Watsa 1964, Bafwasende 1964, Buta 1965.
Besides native Africans who lived and died for Christ, since venturing to the African lands, hundreds of missionaries have borne witness with bloodshed. Fides has published annually for many years the list of missionaries killed, including those working to spread the faith and build up the Church in Africa, among them Bishops such as Bishop Claverie of Oran, Algeria assassinated on 1 August 1996.
Church personnel in Africa, native and missionary, continues to bear supreme witness to Christ: January 1999 opened with the murder of diocesan priest Fr Albino Saluhaku and two catechists in Huamba Angola, a few days later in Freetown, Sierra Leone, an Indian missionary Sister Maria Aloysius, and two Missionaries of Charity Sr Carmeline from Kenya and Sr Swewa from Bangladesh, were killed. Every month has had its martyrs, the last recorded is diocesan Fr Georges Kakuja killed in Congo, Democratic Congo, (former Zaire).
The new century sees no change: 2000 began with bloodshed among Church personnel. On February 6 , Congolese Sr Marie-Odette was killed in Central Africa by a group of armed men, and the following week a young priest Fr Remis Pepe was killed in D. Congo.
All these witnesses of the faith are remembered and honoured by believers. At Guiua in Mozambique, 24 crosses stand as a memorial to a group of catechists killed on March 23, 1992 while they were following a formation course. Fr Francesco Lerma, an Italian Consolata missionary, knew them and was one of the formation team, says their sacrifice was not in vain. Others have followed their example becoming catechists leading Sunday liturgy, explaining the Word of God, counseling the doubtful, preparing catechumens for baptism. (G. T. ) (5/5/2000)