The number of kidnappings also dropped slightly compared to 2024 but remains a major problem in parts of Africa. Fewer priests were arrested or kidnapped in 2025 compared to 2024, but the numbers remain worrying in many parts of the world according to data collected by the international organization Aid to the Church in Need …
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The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is repeating the 24 Hours of Prayer for Peace in Myanmar initiative on February 1. On this date, which marks the fifth anniversary of the beginning of an increasingly violent conflict in the country, ACN invites people around the world to join in prayer …
Two years after an atrocity described as the worst outbreak of violence against Christians in Pakistan’s 78-year history, the local bishop of the district has said that not one of the thousands of suspects has been brought to justice – and that he and his people are furious. Bishop Indrias Rehmat said Christians in …
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With the support of Pontifical Charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the international exhibition “The Shroud of Turin” opened its doors in the capital of Kazakhstan, marking a milestone in interreligious dialogue in Central Asia. An exact replica (see the picture below) of one of the most venerated objects in Christianity, the Shroud …
A minibus for pastoral work The Diocese of Mannar is situated in the northwest of Sri Lanka. A while ago, we received an appeal for help from the Vavuniya deanery, where a vehicle was urgently needed for pastoral work. The deanery includes 10 separate parishes, each of which serves several smaller villages. Altogether, there are …
A report compiled by Franciscan priest Lazar Aslam describes the plight of young girls and women who are subjected to rape, kidnapping, and forced marriage in a country where the law rarely affords Christians equal rights. (Banner photo: Published in 2022, the report Hear Her Cries highlighted the violence committed against women from religious minorities, …
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A new Marian shrine in Balasore In November 2023, the cathedral parish of Balasore in eastern India celebrated the Golden Jubilee of its founding. At that time, the desire was born within the community to establish a Marian shrine within the cathedral grounds. There was previously no place where the faithful could gather to express …
A 22-year-old Christian man, Waqas Masih, was brutally attacked by his supervisor, Zohaib, at the Subhan Paper Mills factory located in Sheikhupura, Pakistani Punjab. The incident, which took place on March 22, highlights the persistent religious intolerance present in much of Pakistani society. According to reports from the victim’s family received by the international Catholic …
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March 15 2025 marked the tenth anniversary of the death of Akash Bashir, a 20-year-old Catholic who sacrificed his life to save hundreds of people when he intercepted a suicide bomber trying to access the church of Saint John, in Youhanabad, in the Diocese of Lahore, Pakistan. That act led to his being raised to …
A newly constructed presbytery for a young parish The parish of Chondonpara in the Diocese of Tura in eastern India is still very new, having only been founded in October 2024. The new presbytery was inaugurated at the same time, thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, who donated $60,000 for this purpose. They celebrated …
