Help for the training of 12 Spiritan seminarians The Holy Ghost Fathers (Congregation of the Holy Spirit, CSSp.) – also known as the Spiritans – were founded in 1703 in France. Today, its members are present in over 60 countries, evangelizing and ministering to the poor and to those on the margins of society, especially …
Author archives: mariobard
Jesuits open first novitiate in Bangladesh with help from ACN
Thirty years after returning to Bangladesh, the Jesuits are opening a new novitiate on July 16 in the South Asian country, where Christians are a small minority. By allowing the novices to have their initial formation in their own culture and language, the Jesuits hope to promote vocations. (Photo: from the beginning, the construction process …
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USA – A good news for religious freedom
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) congratulates U.S. legislators for renewed commitments to religious freedom A bill approved by the U.S. Congress will go a long way in helping to fund efforts to promote religious freedom in countries where it is lacking. Pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has expressed its …
Nigeria – How a bishop became a bridge between Christians and Muslims
When he converted to Christianity, at age 12, Gerald Musa’s father could scarcely have imagined that his son would become the first bishop of his influential Hausa ethnic group. (Cover photo : Bishop Gerald Mamman Musa of Katsina welcoming guests at the airport. On the right, Fr. Ikokwu Onwuchekwa.) Though mostly used nowadays to refer …
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Ukraine – Liberation of two Redemptorist priests
It is with immense gratitude that Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) informs of the release from Russian captivity of Fathers Ivan Levitsky and Bohdan Geleta, Redemptorists (C.S.s.R.), on June 28, 2024. This information has been confirmed by the information department of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), to which they belong. The Russian …
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Ukraine: “War begins in the heart”
During his visit to the international head office of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kharkiv-Zaporizhia spoke with the charity about the situation on the ground. During the discussion, the bishop, who leads one of the largest dioceses in Europe, highlighted the importance of pastoral …
Pakistan – Desperate plea for Christian man put on death row
The chair of the Catholic (National) Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) in Pakistan has condemned a court for ordering the death sentence on a Christian man found guilty of blasphemy in connection with one of the worst atrocities against minorities in the country’s history. Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad, president of the Catholic Bishops’ …
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Nigeria: Kidnapped priest goes free
Nigerian priest Father Mikah Suleiman was released last night (Sunday, July 7) after more than two weeks in captivity. The parish priest of St. Raymond’s Catholic Church, in Damba, Zamfara State, had been abducted from his presbytery in Sokoto Diocese, North-West Nigeria, in the early hours of Saturday, June 22. In the days that followed, fears for …
East Timor – Pope’s visit expected to be a source of hope and many blessings
Devotion to the Catholic Church is one of the distinguishing aspects of East Timorese culture. Francis will be the second pope to visit the territory, but the first since independence. East Timor is one of the world’s youngest countries, having obtained independence in 2002. Pope Francis’ visit from September 9 to 11 this year will …
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Iraq: “Christians are like olive trees. You can burn them, but they will still bear fruit.”
Many feared that the invasion of their homelands would drive Christians from Iraq for good, but ten years after being driven from their homelands by militants of the Islamic State (ISIS), thousands of Christians have returned to houses in the Nineveh Plains rebuilt with the help of ACN, taking with them their love for the …