A new, large-scale mining facility, 75 per cent owned by Chinese companies, began operations this week in the hills of southern Guinea. It is expected to have a major impact on the global mining industry, not least because of the quality of the extracted material, which is more suitable for low-carbon steel production.

During the canonisations on 19 October, Pope Leo XIV will proclaim the first saint of this Oceanic country: a lay catechist, husband and father, who died a martyr for defending Christian marriage. Vice-postulator Fr Ravaioli reflects on the relevance of this figure today: ‘He fought against corruption. He tells us what it really means to proclaim oneself a Christian.’

A report prepared by ACT NOW and Jubilee Australia brings the issue of deforestation back to the forefront. The focus is on issues related to the application and implementation of logging licenses, which are exploited for different purposes. It is necessary to ensure better control of the timber industry and develop local employment and income.

Care for creation and overcoming divisions were the themes at the centre of the Argentine pontiff's last apostolic journey in September last year. Already by name the successor draws the Church's attention to the “new things” and the challenges of the present. The sacredness of life and the mission to build bridges in society.

Between 2000 and 2020, the region recorded an urban population growth rate of around 2.3% per year - one of the highest globally. By 2050, more than half of the Pacific's population will live in urban areas.

Giorgio Licini, a PIME missionary, accompanied the pontiff on last year's trip to a distant frontier mission. “Francis’s lesson was to look inside ourselves before pointing the finger at atheists, the media or technological civilisation,” because “A pilgrim does not have a programme, but a goal.”