Project of the Week – Democratic Republic of the Congo

Two motorcycles for the pre-seminary in Kasongo The propaedeutic, or pre-seminary, in the Diocese of Kasongo, lies in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the population—unlike in other parts of the country—has a Muslim majority. The seminary was founded in 1936 and soon afterwards began to take in candidates from …

Mozambique – Communities and churches attacked as insurgency intensifies in Cabo Delgado

Missionaries, priests, and religious sisters have been forced to flee from remote towns and villages to Pemba and other large cities, which are overwhelmed with displaced people. According to information provided to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) by missionaries on the ground, several new and simultaneous attacks by armed insurgents continue to shake …

José Si Esono, the catechist who gave his life for the faith

Central Africa – Equatorial Guinea During a visit to the head office of Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Miguel Angel Nguema Bee, from the Diocese of Ebebiyin, recounted the moving story of the first catechist to be martyred in Equatorial Guinea. His name was José Si Esono and the local …

ACN Project of the Week-Cameroon and Central African Republic

Help for the training of 42 young Carmelites Even as a child, Jean-Thierry Ebogo had nurtured a secret dream – to be like Jesus! And to do so, he planned to become a priest. It was the year 2003 when as a young man, he finally entered the Carmelite monastery of Nkoabang in Cameroon. He …

Nigeria: In 2023, attacks caused over 500 victims in Nigeria’s Benue State

Between January and the end of December 2023, the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, suffered 119 attacks against the settled populations by Fulani herdsmen.  According to a report sent to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), over 400 people were killed, and more than 100 others were wounded, raped, or …

Nigeria -No justice for 300 people massacred on Christmas Eve

Three weeks after extremists murdered more than 300 people, burnt down entire villages, and destroyed food supplies in coordinated attacks in Nigeria’s Plateau State, none of the perpetrators have been held to account. Masara Kim, a local journalist whose cousin was killed, told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that hundreds of …

ACN to focus on Middle East, Sahel, and Latin America in 2024

Regina Lynch, executive president of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), highlights the worrying increase in religious freedom violations around the world, but also the positive reaction to ACN campaigns such as Red Wednesday and One Million Children Praying the Rosary. You were nominated executive president in April 2023. What is your view for …

Fulani herders kill nearly 200 Christians at Christmas in central Nigeria

Terrorists caused death and destruction during the Christmas holidays among the Christian communities in Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Mangu (but Bokkos was the epicentre) Plateau State, central Nigeria. The executive president of ACN, Regina Lynch, regrets yer another episode of violence against Christians in Nigeria. “This year began with the brutal murder of Fr Isaac …

Cardinal Nzapalainga: “As a Christian, I must hear and see things differently.”

During an interview at the international head office of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga from the Diocese of Bangui spoke about the attitude a Christian must have in the face of suffering as well as towards sisters and brothers in need. He also shared his experiences from the Synod on …

ACN Success Story: Uganda

A minibus to support religious sisters in their ministry The Little Sisters of Saint Francis is a local congregation founded in 1923 by Irish Franciscan Mother Mary Kevin Kearney, who first came to Uganda in 1902. She started with five other sisters, initially working under the shade of a tree, treating the sick and teaching …