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 …
Author archives: mariobard
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, …
Central African Republic: Religious war can be avoided
The archbishop of Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, recently visited the international headquarters of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Germany. In this interview, Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga recalls the decisive action taken by religious leaders to prevent the conflict in the country from turning into a religious war. Tell us a …
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“Being a priest in Nigeria includes the danger of being kidnapped.”
Roads are fraught with danger in Northern Nigeria. Besides the risk of kidnapping, accidents are common and can be fatal. A good car would make Fr. Andrew’s mission easier to accomplish. Video of Fr. Andrew explaining why it is important to have a safer mode of transport in #Nigeria. “Being a priest in Nigeria includes …
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ACN Success Story – Nigeria
A host baking machine for the Benedictine Sisters in Umuoji Benedictine life is flourishing in the abbey of Saint Scholastica, in Umuoji, Southern Nigeria. One hundred and fourteen sisters live here, following the Rule of Saint Benedict, and vocations continue to be plentiful. They live according to the renowned Benedictine principle of “Ora and Labora” …
Nigeria – A Dark Holy Week.
Fulani herdsmen slaughter over 30 IDPs in Africa’s most populated country The latest case of violence carried out against mostly Christian farmers in Central Nigeria has left at least 35 dead. On Holy Saturday, April 8, an attack on internally displaced people (IDPs), carried out by Fulani herdsmen, caused nearly three dozen fatalities and countless …
Churches in the Holy Land warn of rise in anti-Christian incidents
Attacks on churches, schools and cemeteries by fundamentalist Muslims, Jews and even state authorities are worrying the Christians of the Holy Land. The Patriarchs and heads of Churches in the Holy Land have warned of a rise in anti-Christian incidents, such as attacks on holy sites, schools and even funeral processions. Joint statement of the …
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RWANDA: Forgiveness is a power given by God
How the Church is helping the reintegration of those imprisoned for genocide against the Tutsis. April 7 was declared International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Twenty-nine years after these tragic events (April 7 – July 15, 1994), the prisoners who are still incarcerated are those who received the …
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Project of the Week – Ukraine
A car for the Little Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Kharkiv Last year, the Little Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary celebrated the 25th anniversary of their work in Kharkiv. But it was a sad occasion for them, because the second-largest city in Eastern Ukraine has been directly affected by the …
Haiti – “painful and outrageous.”
Head of the Clerics of Saint Viator describes kidnapping of priest as “painful and outrageous.” Two priests were abducted in recent weeks in Haiti, a country in the midst of a deep crisis. While one of them managed to escape after several days in the hands of his kidnappers, the other was released on March …