The Comboni missionaries are the missionary congregation with the largest presence among the semi-nomadic herding peoples (“pastoralists”) of Eastern Africa, spanning Uganda, South Sudan, Kenya, and Ethiopia. They have been present among these peoples for many decades and have accumulated extensive experience in this area of mission. In May 2014, Comboni delegates from these missions met in Juba to share their experiences and insights, to identify significant patterns among these experiences, and to suggest a common method and approach based on the lessons learned. This reflection is based on the results and discussions of that workshop and has been published in the volume Paths of Ministry among the Pastoralists as a contribution to the development of a specific pastoral approach toward pastoralist peoples.
In the house of the General Curia in Rome, in 2024, an exhibition was set up to retrace the themes, reflections and research on specific missionary pastoral work with the ‘pastoralist’ peoples in Africa. The aim of this missionary animation initiative was to relaunch the reflection and development of this specific pastoral work, according to the directions of the 19th General Chapter.
For a virtual tour of the exhibition, follow this link.
