Sri Lanka-A town stands as a witness to the Resurrection after persecution

Five years after the Easter bombings, thousands of faithful have signed a petition addressed to Cardinal Malcom Ranjith, asking him to open a Cause for Beatification for the 171 Catholics killed in that tragic event. Cover photo: parishioners pray before a statue of the risen Christ, stained with the blood of the martyrs of Easter …

Pakistan – Still no justice for Jaranwala victims

A bishop in Pakistan has expressed his disappointment with the authorities for failing to bring to justice those behind one of the country’s worst attacks against Christians – and for not doing enough to help victims.    Highlighting the growing fears of his people, Bishop Joseph Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad said that more than seven …

Nuns, Everyday Heroines

Release of ACN Canada’s Magazine Montreal, April 11, 2024 – The first edition of ACN Canada’s Magazine for 2024 is now available! Entitled Nuns, Everyday Heroines, the issue features short portraits of the extraordinary work carried out by nuns around the world. “The word heroines is absolutely fitting,” says Marie-Claude Lalonde, national director of Aid …

India-ACN concerned at reports of increased persecution of Christians

With elections only weeks away in the world’s most populated country, local human rights organizations are warning of a rise in intolerance and of attacks on religious freedom. The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) expresses its deep concern over reports that are emerging from India, pointing to an increase in …

ACN Success Story – Indonesia

ACN Success Story: a vehicle for a parish on the island of Sumba Some time ago, Father Jakobus Umbu Warata, the provincial of the Redemptorist Fathers, sought our help for his fellow priests working in the parish of Saint Andrew Ngallu, in the east of the island of Sumba, who were in urgent need of …

SAT-7: a lifeline of faith for Christians in Muslim-majority countries

The ecumenical Christian broadcaster runs several channels, in three different languages, and reaches millions of people with its satellite transmissions. Christians are a small minority in the Gulf Kingdom of Oman and almost all of them are foreign workers. So when Kurt Johansen, the executive director of Christian broadcaster SAT-7, told his hotel receptionist what …

ACN Project of the Week – Pakistan

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 …

Pakistan – Bishop praises Supreme Court’s commitment to justice for Jaranwala victims

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 …

Dont forget Myanmar

On the third anniversary of coup, ACN calls on the world not to forget Myanmar Pope Francis has said that the real treasure of Myanmar is its people. As civil conflict worsens, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) supports the repeated calls of the local Catholic Church for peace and justice, not only for …

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 …