Six bishops from the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have written an “assessment of the pastoral and social situation” of the country, following a meeting which took place in Butembo, from April 8-14, and which paints a bleak picture of the state of the country and denounces how “the dignity of …
Author archives: mariobard
ACN Project of the Week – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Help for the training of 14 seminarians in Sarajevo Many of the Catholics in Bosnia and Herzegovina have now left their country. In fact, their numbers have halved since the last Bosnian War, which ended in 1995. Today, there are only around 400,000 Catholic faithful left, accounting for barely 15% of the total population. Sadly, …
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Congo-Brazzaville: A forgotten Church
In December, Maxime François-Marsal, head of section for Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)’s French-speaking countries in Central Africa, travelled to Congo-Brazzaville, also known as the Republic of the Congo—a nation which borders Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this interview, he speaks about the situation of …
Breaking News-Burkina Faso-Catechist kidnapped and killed
Aid to the Church in Need expresses its deepest concern and sorrow following the kidnapping and subsequent killing of the catechist Édouard Yougbare from the parish of Saatenga in Fada Gourma, Burkina Faso. The catechist was abducted last night by terrorists and his lifeless body was found near Zigni this morning. According to local sources …
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Africa: Poverty, main driver of migration
A bishop from Equatorial Guinea reflects on the causes and consequences of migration on the African continent and calls for a more effective focus on the fight against poverty and illegal emigration. At least 8,565 people died on migratory routes all over the world in 2023, making it the deadliest year on record, according to …
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Sudan – One year of war has left the country without any seminarians
For a year, the “war of the generals” has been raging across an already weakened country. The population is in agony and the small Christian community is shrinking away. “I once again ask the conflicting sides to stop this war, which is so harmful to the people and to the future of the country. Let …
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ACN Success Story – Cameroon
Subsistence support for 28 religious sisters The Diocese of Kribi lies in the south of Cameroon, on the Gulf of Guinea. It covers an area of over 11,000 km² and roughly half of its 250,000 inhabitants are Catholic. There are 28 religious sisters in the diocese from eight different congregations caring for those in need, …
Brazil-Rapid urbanization poses pastoral challenges in the Amazon
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is helping the local Church serve new and growing communities of people who are moving from rural to urban areas, often in poor conditions. Millions of people continue to flock from rural areas in the remote Amazon region of Brazil to larger cities, hoping to find a better …
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Pakistan – Still no justice for Jaranwala victims
A bishop in Pakistan has expressed his disappointment with the authorities for failing to bring to justice those behind one of the country’s worst attacks against Christians – and for not doing enough to help victims. Highlighting the growing fears of his people, Bishop Joseph Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad said that more than seven …
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Nuns, Everyday Heroines
Release of ACN Canada’s Magazine Montreal, April 11, 2024 – The first edition of ACN Canada’s Magazine for 2024 is now available! Entitled Nuns, Everyday Heroines, the issue features short portraits of the extraordinary work carried out by nuns around the world. “The word heroines is absolutely fitting,” says Marie-Claude Lalonde, national director of Aid …