Metropolitan Ephraim Maalouli and Archbishop Mor Boutros Kassis, who lead the Greek Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox communities in Aleppo, Syria, insist that Christians live in hope and continue to feel the presence and inspiration of their two predecessors, abducted by Islamist militants 10 years ago. Christians in Syria, and more specifically in the city of …
Author archives: mariobard
Sister Selestina : ‘‘If they built a convent on Mars, we’d willingly go there to live and work.”
Feature Story – Iceland Nominally, the vast majority of Icelanders belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland. There are only around 14,000 Catholics in Iceland, a country with only one diocese – Reykjavik – and eight parishes. Some of these parishes are very distant from each other. None of this bothers Sister Selestina Gavric …
Bilingual Marian pilgrimage to Lourdes, Saint-James of Compostela, Fatima and Lisbon
From October 25 to November 6, 2023, be part of a bilingual Marian pilgrimage with Aid to the Church in Need Canada (ACN) and Spiritours. More information in this PDF File :
ACN Project of the Week – Uruguay
Helping the only seminary in the country! In Uruguay, the Catholic Church holds much less influence in society than in most other Latin American countries. Only around 30% of the country’s 3.5 million citizens identify as Catholics, and religious faith and practice have been largely relegated to the private sphere. The second smallest country in …
Pakistan-Abductions and forced conversions of young Christian women increasing
Head of Justice and Peace Commission sees little progress in religious freedom. The director of the Catholic National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) in Pakistan, Father Emmanuel Yousaf (Mani), says abductions and forced conversions of young women from Christian minorities are on the rise. “The problem is becoming more acute day by day,” the …
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Ukraine: “People just wish for peace, and the Church is constantly praying with them for freedom.” – Interview
Magda Kaczmarek has been with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) for 32 years and is head of projects for Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria, and the Balkan countries, where generally, Catholics are a minority. She recently returned from a trip to Ukraine, and in this interview, shares her impressions and what the needs of the …
An adventure of faith in the forest
In the Brazilian Amazon, a Capuchin friar shares the many efforts and trials necessary to spread the Gospel in this vast region and the help that makes it all possible. Friar Paolo Maria Braghini was returning to his mission one afternoon, after having gone to buy supplies in the city, when a cloud began to …
Christians in Nigeria – Unwavering Persistence and Hope
Videos and Magazine present an overview of their situation Press Release Montreal, Wednesday, April 19, 2023 –Aid to the Church in Need Canada (ACN) is in the midst of a campaign for the persecuted Church in Nigeria and is encouraging people to donate generously. “On Holy Saturday, April 8, more than 35 people (with some …
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ACN Project of the Week – Guatemala
A vehicle for a remote mountain parish The parish of El Calvaria in central Guatemala covers a mountainous area of over 2,000 km² and includes 117 separate small communities. The challenges are enormous. Most of the inhabitants are Kekchí – Mayan Indigenous Peoples. They are especially disadvantaged and marginalised and live for the most part …
Pakistan: Justice served at last
A Christian man in Pakistan, who languished in jail for nearly eight years, has been released after he was acquitted by a court in Lahore. Humayun Allahrakha (formerly known as Humayun Faisal Masih), now 32, was burning newspaper in Sanda, a town in Lahore District, in May 2015 when Muslim onlookers accused him of blasphemy, …