The attack, which left two dead and six wounded, took place on May 16 at a Catholic school in Sangota, in northeastern Pakistan. (Cover Photo: Archive of 2018, in St. Joseph Primary School, Rawalpindi) A police officer who was doing security work for a Catholic school for girls in northeastern Pakistan opened fire on a …
Author archives: mariobard
Project of the Week – Pakistan
Support for the training of 63 catechists in Khushpur Khushpur, in the Faisalabad District of the province of Punjab, is the largest Catholic village in Pakistan. It is sometimes referred to as “Pakistan’s Vatican,” because this village, with its close to 8,000 Catholics and extremely active Church life, is a pillar of strength for the …
Nigeria: “Religion should unite us, not divide.”
A Catholic Archbishop who needs guard dogs in the house, and an armed escort when he travels, speaks of the difficulties of carrying out his mission in his diocese. Archbishop Matthew Ndagoso of Kaduna, in north-central Nigeria, leads one of the most dangerous dioceses in the world. You wouldn’t guess it, though, from his smile …
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Sudan – As fighting erupts, priests stay with their flocks
Priests in war-torn Sudan are not abandoning their flocks despite the escalating conflict in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, and throughout the Darfur region. Despite a ceasefire, violent clashes continued between the semi-official Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army, with civilian deaths topping more than 850 (23-05-2023). Speaking to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in …
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Christian martyrs become a symbol of ecumenism and friendship between Orthodox and Catholics
The 21 martyrs—20 Egyptian and one Ghanaian—who were killed by Islamic State militants in Libya, in 2015, will be commemorated on the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, making them the first saints to be honoured by both the Coptic Orthodox and Catholic Churches since their split following the Council of Chalcedon in 451AD. In …
“Without Christians… there will not be a peaceful and harmonious Lebanon.”
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) supports the formation of seminarians all over the world. In Lebanon, this is about more than just preparing men to be good priests; it has to do with guaranteeing a peaceful future for the country, and a stable environment in which Christians can thrive. The Maronite Patriarchal Seminary …
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Project of the Week – Central African Republic
Ongoing formation for 45 priests and deacons in the Diocese of Bouar The Central African Republic is one of the poorest and most underdeveloped nations in the world and continues to be plagued by constant unrest and coup attempts. Many areas of the country are being controlled by a variety of armed rebel groups. The …
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ACN Project of the Week – India
A vehicle for an extensive parish in a remote region The parish of Saint Francis Xavier is situated in Lazu, a remote parish in the Diocese of Miao (Northeast India), close to the border with Myanmar. The parish has 10 outstations* and a total of around 2,500 Catholic faithful. The people of this region …
Democratic Republic of the Congo – A priest at the service of inmates
In the extreme conditions of the Congolese prison system, a priest is struggling to protect inmates from hunger and despair. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reports from the central prison in Bukavu, in the far east of the country (South Kivu region) on the work of the Church among these otherwise abandoned people. …
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“Evil will not have the last word,” says priest about violence against Christians in his country.
Burkina Faso Churches must be guarded so that Christians can pray in safety. Catholic nurses disguise themselves as Muslims so that they can travel to villages to treat patients. Christian girls wear full-face veils to go to school, so as not to be kidnapped. To resist the jihadists in Burkina Faso requires much courage, explains …