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 …
Category archives: Eastern Africa
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, …
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“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 …
Madagascan Cardinal: “The change has to start with us.”
During his visit to the international headquarters of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Cardinal Désiré Tsarahazana emphasized the urgency of an authentic and committed faith. In the face of many social problems which for a long time have undermined Madagascar, he insists on the importance of pastoral work so that the Gospel may …
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Rwanda: “If we lose the young people, we lose society”
Bishop Papias Musengamana of the Diocese of Byumba in Northwest Rwanda recently visited the international headquarters of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). He tells the pontifical charity how his diocese recovered from the almost complete absence of priests after the 1994 genocide and speaks about the meaning of pastoral work with families and …
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Walking for peace in South Sudan
In a land where walking long distances is usually a sign of distress, an annual pilgrimage for peace is raising questions and changing attitudes. When Pope Francis announced his visit to South Sudan in 2022, young Catholics in the Diocese of Rumbek were naturally excited. “They kept saying they wanted to go and see him,” …
ACN help is “like the hand of God, saving lives” in Mozambique
A missionary sister who works in the Diocese of Pemba, which is racked by terrorism and still deeply affected by a recent cyclone, thanks Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) for the help it provides civilians. Sister Aparecida Queiroz from the Congregation of the Daughters of Jesus (photo) arrived in the Diocese of Pemba, …
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ACN Projects of the Week – Zimbabwe
A new vehicle for a remote parish Zimbabwe is a landlocked nation in southeast Africa with a population of nearly 17 million. The population is predominantly Christian, although 75% belong to various Protestant denominations. Catholics represent only around 16% of the population. Zimbabwe has long been plagued by a severe economic crisis, made even worse …
Kenya: a total transformation for rescued girls
For many years, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has provided support, especially through scholarships, to members of the Assumption Sisters of Eldoret. Using the skills obtained through this aid, the sisters have been helping to get girls off the streets of Nairobi. During a visit to Aid to the Church in Need’s headquarters …
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Mozambique – “What will become of us?”
Cabo Delgado was the area most affected by the fury of Cyclone Chido, which swept through Mozambique in the early hours of Sunday, December 15, after causing destruction in the French archipelago of Mayotte. There are dozens of fatalities and thousands of people asking how they will survive after having lost everything. In an initial …