On Sunday, March 3, 2024, the Haitian government declared a 72-hour state of emergency after armed gangs stormed the national prison in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Haiti is sinking deeper and deeper into chaos. Pastoral life is seriously affected by the violence and the frequent kidnappings, but the faithful are braving the dangers to live their …
Continue reading “Haitian Archbishop: “Our people are a people who want to live””
The Christian community in Gaza is facing the most difficult period since the beginning of the war. Phone lines are cut and online communications are continuously disconnecting. One can hardly understand what Sister Nabila is trying to say: “quite,” “well,” “Church”… then the line goes dead, and that is how things have been for the …
Continue reading ““It is a very special Easter; we are closer than ever to the crucified Saviour.””
Central African Republic On February 23, 2024, Pope Francis appointed Father Aurelio Gazzera, a long-time friend and partner of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Bangassou, in the Central African Republic. The 61-year-old Italian Carmelite priest has already worked for 33 years as a missionary in the country, …
Continue reading “A shepherd defending his sheep from danger”
Women: a crucial support in Ukraine On International Women’s Day, international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) highlights all the brave wives, sisters, mothers, and religious who are helping keep faith and hope alive in war-torn Ukraine. The war in Ukraine is not only an assault on an independent nation, struggling to …
A vehicle for the Holy Family Sisters in Gojra The Sisters of the Holy Family of Bordeaux first came to Pakistan nearly 50 years ago. Today this congregation, founded in France in the 19th century, has 32 religious sisters working in almost all the Pakistani dioceses. They help the priests in the parishes, support the …
“The courage of the martyrs, the witness of the martyrs, is a blessing for everyone,” the Holy Father reflects in The Pope Video for March. This video is being promoted by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, produced in collaboration with Pontifical Charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), which support Christians wherever they are …
The president of Pakistan’s Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Samson Shukardin, has welcomed a Supreme Court decision to reject a government report into the authorities’ response to the attacks in Jaranwala last August, described by Church leaders as the “worst incident against Christians” in the nation’s history. Speaking to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in …
Rebuilding a parish house destroyed by a tropical storm Venezuela is regularly hit with tropical storms and other natural disasters, and the country was particularly hard-hit by the passage of Hurricane Julia in October 2022, which caused extensive damage. Tens of people died, and countless houses were destroyed. Among the places hardest hit by the …
Almost 30 Christians were killed or kidnapped in different incidents in three different countries over the past few days. Fifteen Christians were killed and two wounded in an attack on Catholics in Essakane, in the Diocese of Dori, Burkina Faso. The attack, which took place on Sunday, 25 February, was carried out by terrorists who …
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is providing emergency medical and humanitarian aid to the affected families. According to recent information received by the international charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Christians residing in the West Bank and Jerusalem are facing an increasingly dire situation as the war in Gaza and escalating …
