Tribulation Times

Father Crépin Martial Monga, vicar of the Catholic parish of St. John the Baptist in Zémio, in southeastern Central African Republic (CAR), was killed on Monday, June 29. Armed men allegedly gunned down the priest that evening.

Fr. Crépin Martial Monga. Credit: Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM)

Details of the killing are scarce, but sources on the ground tell Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that there is no doubt that the killing was intentional.

Zémio is a particularly dangerous area in an already unstable country. Several armed groups have been active there for the past three decades, and in May of 2025 a full-scale revolt against the government began.

Bishop Aurelio Gazzera of Bangassou, an ACN project partner who has 35 years of experience as a missionary in the CAR, lauded Fr Crépin’s commitment to peace and reconciliation in the area.

“At some points he and the parish cared for more than 3,000 refugees at the mission. This work was very important,” the bishop said, in a conversation with ACN. “In addition to this, he maintained many contacts with various rebel leaders and the authorities, always striving to mediate and find resolutions for the conflicts.”

Some in the diocese believe that Fr Crépin may have been killed precisely because of his peacemaking efforts.

On June 20, the Diocese of Oslo inaugurated a shrine dedicated to persecuted Christians, marking a significant moment for the Catholic Church in one of Europe’s most secular societies. Located at St. John’s Church and entrusted to the patronage of Mary, Mother of Persecuted Christians, the shrine is part of a growing international initiative led by the U.S.-based organization Nasarean.org. It represents the eighth such site established since 2018 and the second in Scandinavia, following Stockholm’s shrine opened in 2023.

The inauguration was led by Bishop Fredrik Hansen, who assumed leadership of the diocese less than a year ago. For Hansen, the timing carries particular importance, coinciding with what he describes as a subtle but steady resurgence of Catholic interest in Norway—especially among young adults.

The Oslo shrine originated through collaboration with Father Benedict Kiely, founder of Nasarean.org, who launched the initiative in 2018. The project centers on a Marian icon inspired by the traditional “Mother of Tenderness” image, bearing the inscription “Mother of the Persecuted” in Aramaic.

When approached by Kiely around the time of his episcopal ordination, Hansen embraced the initiative immediately. He grounded his support in a theological conviction rooted in Christian teaching.

“As Christians, we are bound one to another,” Hansen said. “The suffering of one part of the body is the suffering of all.”

The Oslo shrine now joins a network spanning New York, London, Massachusetts, Wyoming, Kazakhstan, Iraq, and Stockholm, establishing a visible link between local prayer and global solidarity.