Haiti-Seminary looted and vandalized, as security situation worsens

A seminary operated by the Spiritan missionaries in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince was attacked by armed gangsters. The religious and staff had to hide for six hours during the looting of the premises, before managing to escape to safety. (Cover photo: The cathedral of Port-au-Prince, in ruins, destroyed in the earthquake of 2010.) The Minor …

ACN Project of the Week – Mexico

Mass intentions for Diocese of Tapachula priests Mexico is a land of contrasts. Some areas are popular tourist destinations, while others are being torn apart by bloody, drug-related warfare and plagued by abductions, extortions, robberies, and murders. And the Catholic Church is not spared this violence. In fact, Mexico is one of the most dangerous …

Gaza, West Bank, and Jerusalem

Christians reflect the essence of Holy Saturday As Christians around the world commemorate Holy Week, international charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) recalls the challenges facing Christians in the Holy Land, in Gaza, but also in the West Bank and Jerusalem. During his visit to ACN’s head office, Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel (photo) of …

Nigeria-The Way of the Cross of a kidnapped priest

Fr. Idahosa Amadasu, from the Diocese of Benin, is one of hundreds of Catholic priests who has been kidnapped and held for ransom by armed bandits in Nigeria over the past few decades. For several days, he suffered fear, humiliation, hunger, and cold, but he found strength in his faith in Jesus to endure a …

India-ACN concerned at reports of increased persecution of Christians

With elections only weeks away in the world’s most populated country, local human rights organizations are warning of a rise in intolerance and of attacks on religious freedom. The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) expresses its deep concern over reports that are emerging from India, pointing to an increase in …

Near-East-Fighting to ensure that the testimony of Jesus Christ lives on

For years, Syria and Lebanon have witnessed a steady haemorrhaging of their Christian populations. Through its engagement in multiple projects, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is actively campaigning against the exodus of Christians. “I would like to get out of Syria as quickly as possible and join my father in the Netherlands, where …

ACN Success Story – Indonesia

ACN Success Story: a vehicle for a parish on the island of Sumba Some time ago, Father Jakobus Umbu Warata, the provincial of the Redemptorist Fathers, sought our help for his fellow priests working in the parish of Saint Andrew Ngallu, in the east of the island of Sumba, who were in urgent need of …

Peru-Living the faith in the highest inhabited place in the world

Between coca plantations, illegal gold mining, and a lack of vocations, Bishop Giovanni Cefai of the Territorial Prelature of Santiago Apóstol de Huancané speaks about the difficulties of trying to evangelize in such a challenging atmosphere. The Prelature of Santiago Apóstol de Huancané, which was formed in 2019 and is dependent on the Archdiocese of …

Nigeria-Bishop challenges government to improve security or assume the consequences

Archbishop Matthew Man’Oso Ndagoso visited the village of Adama Dutse, which was attacked in February, leaving widespread destruction and 11 dead. (Photo: prayer at the cemetery where the 11 victims are buried). The archbishop of Kaduna, in Nigeria, has expressed disappointment in the federal government for not ensuring the safety of the population, following another …

SAT-7: a lifeline of faith for Christians in Muslim-majority countries

The ecumenical Christian broadcaster runs several channels, in three different languages, and reaches millions of people with its satellite transmissions. Christians are a small minority in the Gulf Kingdom of Oman and almost all of them are foreign workers. So when Kurt Johansen, the executive director of Christian broadcaster SAT-7, told his hotel receptionist what …