Although relations between the Church and the state have improved over the past century, the bishops denounce the cartels’ “parallel government,” which undermines religious freedom in Mexico. (Banner photo: In 2022, the funeral of Jesuit Fathers Joaquín Mora and Javier Campos, who were allegedly murdered by members of a drug cartel.) The Catholic bishops of …
Continue reading “Mexico: Aid to the Church in Need Joins the Bishops’ Appeal”
From Spain to the USA, several churches have been vandalized in the past three months. Although the attacks seem unrelated to each other, they show that religious freedom is not to be taken for granted, even in majority Christian countries. The popular European shrine of Medjugorje, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was vandalized and desecrated in …
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Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has already committed to a second aid package which, according to its executive president, will be “much higher than the initial $150,000” provided right after the earthquakes struck. (Banner photo: Regina Lynch at the centre of a group of young volunteers, July 2026.) The Church has been present …
Continue reading “Venezuela earthquakes: The Church stands alongside the victims”
“Seeing people embrace us and seek comfort in us is a sign that the Church’s mission is to be with the people,” says one Venezuelan seminarian. Germán Jiménez, a seminarian from the Diocese of Petare, Venezuela, is in the final stage of formation before his ordination to the priesthood. From the very first moment following …
Continue reading “Venezuela: Seminarians put theology into practice among the rubble”
Venezuela is in mourning. Pain is everywhere, and the Church is often the only source of hope. “Feelings are very mixed. We are here to accompany, to counsel, and to support those who have suffered human losses, but also the many who have lost their jobs. We commend ourselves to the Lord, asking him to …
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The superior general of the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, who was due to return to Rome, speaks movingly about the faith displayed by the people amid the tragedy. The double earthquake that struck Venezuela on June 24, claiming more than 3,000 lives and affecting thousands of families, has mobilized the Church throughout the …
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In one of the poorest and most densely populated communities in Caracas, the Church has mobilized to care for the wounded arriving from La Guaira. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has approved an emergency aid package of $150,000 to support the Church’s response to this catastrophe. When Venezuela was struck by deadly earthquakes …
Continue reading “Venezuelan bishop: “Even those who have nothing give everything””
Archbishop Raúl Biord of Caracas, Venezuela, says that the Church is accompanying the victims of the earthquakes while rescue efforts continue. As search and rescue efforts continue, following the devastating earthquakes that shook Venezuela, the Church has begun to deal with the great challenge of accompanying a deeply traumatized population. “For those who survived, it …
Continue reading ““The priority now is to rebuild lives,” says archbishop of Caracas”
Priests celebrate Mass in the street as churches become shelters following deadly earthquakes As rescue teams continue to search for survivors under the rubble following the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, the Catholic Church remains at the centre of the emergency response, opening its doors to those who have lost everything, while …
Continue reading “Venezuela: ACN allocates $150,000 to support Church response to earthquakes”
The Church in Cuba continues to accompany a population marked by fear, uncertainty, and deep need in all areas of life. In a conversation with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Marcelo Arturo González Amador, who is president of the Cuban Bishops’ Conference, describes the dramatic situation the island is currently experiencing. “Cuba …
Continue reading “Head of bishops’ conference asks that Cuba not be forgotten”
