Sister Helena Queijo spent nine years in one of the most dangerous countries in the world, where armed gangs run rampant and even clergy and religious are under constant threat. A religious sister who spent most of the past decade in Haiti has spoken to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about the …
Continue reading “Haiti: “The people are suffering; everyone is at risk””
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) deeply regrets the tragic loss of two religious sisters from the Congregation of the Little Sisters of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, who were brutally murdered on Monday, March 31, by armed gangs in Mirebalais, around 50 kilometres northeast of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. Sisters Evanette …
Continue reading “Haiti’s Way of the Cross continues: Two religious sisters murdered”
In December 2024, Verónica Katz, project director for Central America at international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), visited the dioceses on the Dominican side of the border with Haiti. In this interview, she shares her experience in the less visible areas of the Dominican Republic. When people think of the Dominican …
Continue reading “Beyond the Breathtaking Beaches: the Church on the Dominican Border”
The number of priests and religious kidnapped in 2024 increased, while the number arrested for reasons of persecution decreased. In total, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) registered 122 cases impacting priests and religious, including 13 murders, 38 kidnappings, and 71 held under arrest. Ten of these incidents involved women, eight of whom were …
Continue reading “Being a priest today: One of the most dangerous missions in the world”
Gang violence, forced migration, and poverty continue to plague Haiti. In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the Bishop of Fort-Liberté, Quesnel Alphonse, speaks of looting by gangs, the growing influence of Islam, and the trauma of a population that “feels completely lost.” *** The cover photo was taken in 2017. …
Continue reading “In Haiti, “it’s about surviving,” says Bishop Quesnel of Fort-Liberté”
In the face of rampant violence which is paralyzing Port-au-Prince and isolating Haiti from the rest of the world, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Haiti, in a message received by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), calls on the government to act and appeals to every Haitian to work for peace and overcome hatred. …
Continue reading “Haiti on the brink: bishops issue a “cry of alarm” for peace”
Plagued for months by gangs that plunder, kidnap and terrorize the population, Haiti continues to fight every day for its survival. Amid this terrible situation, the Church in the country remains a beacon of hope, says Fr Baudelaire Martial, a Haitian priest from the Congregation of the Holy Cross (photo), who visited the international headquarters …
Continue reading “Haiti: “We must overcome our fear and bestow hope””
A seminary operated by the Spiritan missionaries in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince was attacked by armed gangsters. The religious and staff had to hide for six hours during the looting of the premises, before managing to escape to safety. (Cover photo: The cathedral of Port-au-Prince, in ruins, destroyed in the earthquake of 2010.) The Minor …
Continue reading “Haiti-Seminary looted and vandalized, as security situation worsens”
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) will be joining the day of prayer on March 22 for the people of Haiti. In a message dated March 18, the Catholic bishops of Haiti expressed profound concern about the violence that is sweeping the country. The letter, which was sent to international Catholic charity Aid to …
Almost 30 Christians were killed or kidnapped in different incidents in three different countries over the past few days. Fifteen Christians were killed and two wounded in an attack on Catholics in Essakane, in the Diocese of Dori, Burkina Faso. The attack, which took place on Sunday, 25 February, was carried out by terrorists who …
