At this moment, the world is experiencing a time of great distress. In addition to the many conflicts and wars already present before February 28, 2026 — in South Sudan, in Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Myanmar, among others — the new crisis in the Middle East has only added to …
Author archives: mariobard
“The Church is really a rock in Lebanon” as airstrikes intensify
Churches have opened their doors to receive IDPs, but efforts are overstretched operating schools, hospitals, care homes, and orphanages. (Photo of the banner: Fr. Maroun Youssef Ghafari, Maronite parish priest of Alma Sha’b in 2025, at the border with Israel. Rubbles of the war of 2024 are still visible.) As another 25 people were killed …
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Taybeh: Do Not Let Palestinian Christians Become a Memory of the Past
The last entirely Christian village in the West Bank, Taybeh, east of Ramallah, has been enduring a wave of attacks and intimidation by Israeli settlers. Hostile acts include setting fire to agricultural lands, cars, and the walls of an ancient church, hateful and threatening graffiti, livestock released into the village, not to mention the numerous …
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Pakistan: Demand for justice after Christian man found hanged
The Christian community has refused the official account that Mr. Marqas Masih committed suicide, and claim instead that he was murdered. Two men have been arrested. Church leaders are demanding justice after a Christian labourer in Pakistan was found hanged at a farm outbuilding, amid growing suspicions that he was tortured to death. The body …
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“We will stay, despite the war,” says priest in southern Lebanon
Since the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, at the end of February 2026, the southern border of Lebanon has again become a war zone. In this context of increased violence, Fr. Maroun Youssef Ghafari, the Maronite parish priest of Alma Sha’b, on the border with Israel, has decided to stay with his …
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ACN calls for prayers for Fr. Pierre El Rai, killed in southern Lebanon
Pontifical Charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) calls for prayers for Fr. Pierre El Rai, a Maronite priest from the Maronite Diocese of Tyre and a project partner of the charity in southern Lebanon, who was killed amid the current escalation of violence in the region. According to information received by ACN, the …
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Drone strike in Erbil raises fears among Iraq’s Christians
The return of war to the Middle East has reopened old wounds and many Christians are again contemplating leaving the region. A drone strike last Wednesday (4 March) damaged Church-owned buildings in Ankawa, the Christian-majority district of Erbil in northern Iraq, raising fresh fears among local Christians about their future in the region amid escalating …
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You are the guardians of the missionaries!
On February 18, Ash Wednesday, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Canada launched its Lent campaign under the theme, You keep the mission alive! Montreal, March 5, 2026 — “This year, we are highlighting missionaries who, throughout the world, carry out their work with remarkable generosity and a faith in humanity that sometimes defies …
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Lebanon: “Missiles are flying over our heads”
Over 30,000 displaced as violence escalates in Lebanon Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has remained in contact with project partners in the areas affected by airstrikes, assessing the need for emergency assistance. (Banner photo: archive from May 2025, when the southern region of the country was hit by destructive bombardments.) Nearly 30,000 people …
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“The Christian presence in the Middle East must not die out.”
Königstein-Montreal, March 2, 2026 – As tensions rise once again across the Middle East, the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) warns that a further escalation of violence could have devastating consequences for Christian communities throughout the region. “The Christian presence in the Middle East must not die out,” said Regina …
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