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 percent of the population are members of the Catholic Church. [1]
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 percent of the population are members of the Catholic Church. [1]
The first Catholics to enter what is today Burkina Faso arrived with the French colonialists in 1896. [2] 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. [2] Abbé Yougbaré was consecrated as the Bishop of Koupéla on 29 February 1956 and became the first African Catholic bishop. [2]
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. [3] 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. [4] An attack in a village in the Diocese of Nouma, also in July 2022, caused at least 22 fatalities, according to official numbers, though some witnesses spoke of up to 30 killed. [5] 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". [6]
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. [7]
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of 274,200 km2 (105,900 sq mi), bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and the Ivory Coast to the southwest. It has a population of 20,321,378. Previously called Republic of Upper Volta (1958–1984), it was renamed Burkina Faso by President Thomas Sankara. Its citizens are known as Burkinabè, and its capital and largest city is Ouagadougou.
The Catholic Church in Albania is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
Articles related to Burkina Faso include:
The Archdiocese of Koupéla is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Koupéla in Burkina Faso.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nouna is a diocese located in the city of Nouna in the Ecclesiastical province of Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dori is a diocese located in the city of Dori in the Ecclesiastical province of Koupéla in Burkina Faso.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fada N'Gourma is a diocese located in the city of Fada N’Gourma in the Ecclesiastical province of Koupéla in Burkina Faso.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kaya is a diocese located in the city of Kaya in the Ecclesiastical province of Koupéla in Burkina Faso.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Manga is a diocese located in the city of Manga in the Ecclesiastical province of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Manga has an area of 25,600 square kilometres (9,870 sq mi), a total population of 574,622, a Catholic population of 107,104, 16 priests, and 21 religious.
Ambroise Ouédraogo is the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Maradi in Niger. He was appointed in 2001 as the first bishop of this new diocese, one of two dioceses in Niger. He has organised a structure of administration and ministry, with a focus on dialogue with the Islam majority in the area which has less than 1% Christians.
Dieudonné Yougbaré was a Burkinabé-born bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. At the time of his death he was one of the oldest Catholic bishops and the oldest one from Burkina Faso.
The local assembly of bishops is the Episcopal Conference of Burkina Faso and of Niger. Its purposes are to coordinate and make dynamic pastoral activities of the Catholic Church in the nations of Burkina Faso and Niger for the good of the faithful, and encourage the sharing of resources and people for a common assumption evangelizing mission of the church in the two countries.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tenkodogo is a diocese located in the city of Tenkodogo in the Ecclesiastical province of Koupéla in Burkina Faso.
On 15 January 2016, gunmen armed with heavy weapons attacked the Cappuccino restaurant and the Splendid Hotel in the heart of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. The number of fatalities reached 30, while at least 56 were wounded; a total of 176 hostages were released after a government counter-attack into the next morning as the siege ended. Three perpetrators were also killed. The nearby YIBI hotel was then under siege, where another attacker was killed. Notably, former Swiss MPs Jean-Noël Rey and Georgie Lamon were killed. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Al-Mourabitoun.
Nineteen people were killed and 25 others were injured when suspected jihadists opened fire on a Turkish restaurant and hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on 13 August 2017. Police cornered the attackers, who took hostages and then were killed in an ensuing shootout.
Terrorism in Burkina Faso refers to non-state actor violence in Burkina Faso that is carried out with the intent of causing fear and spreading extremist ideology. Terrorist activity primarily involves religious terrorism conducted by foreign-based organizations, although some activity occurs because of communal frustration over the lack of economic development. Recent attacks are concentrated in the Hauts-Bassins, Boucle du Mouhoun, Nord, Sahel, and Est regions, along the border with Mali and Niger. A series of attacks in Ouagadougou in 2016, 2017, and 2018 by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its affiliates was particularly deadly, garnering international attention.
An ongoing war and civil conflict between the Government of Burkina Faso and Islamist rebels began in August 2015 and has led to the displacement of 1.9 million people and the deaths of at least 2,000 civilians and combatants.
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