Catholic Church steps up pressure on Nigerian government over rising violence

In recent days, several Catholic organizations and dioceses have called on the government to deploy additional military and police personnel to stem the bloodshed and criminality gripping large parts of the country. The Catholic Church in northern Nigeria has intensified its public pressure on the government in recent days following a new wave of attacks …

Catechists in Mozambique: “We seek to rekindle the flame of hope”

Some parishes in northern Mozambique can encompass hundreds of communities, and priests and religious are not capable of reaching them all. Catechists are often on the front lines of the Church in the most difficult regions and circumstances. Around 300 families live in difficult conditions in the resettlement camp of Ntele, Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. They …

Mozambique – “You are not alone!”

Cardinal Parolin tells “heroic” Christians in Mozambique In a risky trip to Cabo Delgado, home to a ruthless jihadist violence, the Vatican’s Secretary of State thanked the work of Aid to the Church in Need. Cardinal Pietro Parolin recently concluded a trip to Cabo Delgado, an insurgency-ridden region in Mozambique, where he met with the …

Four Christians killed, villages razed in fresh attack in Mozambique

An estimated 128,000 people have had to flee the affected region, according to UN estimates. Photo: Displaced women (2024). At least four Christians were murdered by jihadists in northern Mozambique over the past days, in the latest wave of attacks of an insurgency which began in 2017. Although the insurgency began in Cabo Delgado Province, …

Ethiopian Spiritans evangelizing local cultures

In the ancient Christian nation of Ethiopia, there are nomadic groups who have never heard the Gospel. The Spiritans work with these communities to spread the Good News and evangelize their culture, which also involves dialogue with controversial traditions. “Every community has its own culture, and of course, their culture is beautiful,” says Fr. Kilimpe …

Pope “close” to suffering people of Cabo Delgado

According to Mozambican Bishop António Juliasse, the Pope’s message is that no war should ever be forgotten. Pope Leo expressed his closeness to the people of Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique, during his Angelus address on Sunday, August 24. Pope Francis had previously referred to the insurgency in Cabo Delgado on several occasions. “I express …

Mozambique – Almost 50,000 displaced in latest round of jihadist attacks

A local priest also tells Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that jihadists have taken to kidnapping children as part of their insurgency. Almost 50,000 people have been displaced in the most recent round of attacks in the northern region of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, namely at the end of July and in the first …

“We want you to help us pray”

Four Salesian priests and four women religious serve a population of over 90,000 South Sudanese refugees in Palabek, Uganda. Between education and spiritual needs, they have their hands full, but they can count on the help of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). (Banner photo: one of the sisters with a family from the …

Religious robbed, held at gunpoint, and threatened with decapitation

The Mercedarian Sisters were the second congregation to suffer an armed robbery in a matter of days, as the violence in northern Mozambique steadily worsens. (Archive: Mercedarian Sisters, including some from the convent that was attacked). Almost a month ago, on June 8, the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, in the Diocese of Pemba, …

“Mozambique needs international aid to solve this problem,” says the bishop of Tete

There is no easy solution to the conflict in the northeast of the African country, but it is necessary to fight poverty and disinformation, and the Church is doing its part, says the bishop of Tete. Mozambique cannot face the crisis in the northeastern province of Cabo Delgado alone, says Bishop Diamantino Antunes. The bishop …