Over 30,000 displaced as violence escalates in Lebanon Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has remained in contact with project partners in the areas affected by airstrikes, assessing the need for emergency assistance. (Banner photo: archive from May 2025, when the southern region of the country was hit by destructive bombardments.) Nearly 30,000 people …
Continue reading “Lebanon: “Missiles are flying over our heads””
Königstein-Montreal, March 2, 2026 – As tensions rise once again across the Middle East, the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) warns that a further escalation of violence could have devastating consequences for Christian communities throughout the region. “The Christian presence in the Middle East must not die out,” said Regina …
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The Cry of Gaza’s Parish Priest Although the media attention has died down since the ceasefire, the Gaza Strip continues to sink into an unprecedented humanitarian and health crisis. Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Gaza’s Catholic priest, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, described the “very serious” conditions marked by the daily suffering of …
Continue reading ““It is absolutely essential that the war stops””
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is committed to helping rebuild homes and lives of the Christian community in Syria. Violence in Aleppo, Syria’s second most important city, has subsided following the withdrawal of forces from the Kurdish-led coalition which were occupying two neighbourhoods in defiance of government forces.* Although neither of the parties …
Continue reading “As life returns to normal in Aleppo, trauma lingers and fear remains”
Civilians are once again the main victims as the Kurdish-led SDF and forces loyal to the government in Damascus try to take control of the country’s second most important city. The Church has opened the doors of its buildings to displaced families. Christians in Aleppo, Syria, are calling for prayers from the international community as …
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Lebanon is still recovering from years of conflict and economic turmoil. The Pope’s visit is a sign that the local Church is not forgotten and highlights the country’s unique role in the region. The Church in Lebanon hopes that Pope Leo’s presence will help secure justice for the victims of the 2020 Port explosion, which …
Continue reading “Pope is travelling to Lebanon to “heal wounds” and “work for peace””
With unemployment disproportionately affecting the Christian community, and as a gesture during the Jubilee of Hope, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (LPJ) made the decision to cancel student debt in all its schools. Even though Christians are the smallest of the three major faith groups present in the Holy Land, after Jews and Muslims, the …
As indirect talks continue in Egypt between Israeli envoys and Hamas, a cautious hope for the beginning of peace is taking root in the Diocese of the Holy Land. The parish priest of Gaza’s only Catholic parish shared with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) the heavy toll of two years of war. “Two …
Continue reading “Gaza: A first step towards peace after 733 days of war”
Ten years of bringing hope and fostering coexistence in Iraq In 2014, Yohana Al-Zebbaree was a pre-teen boy from a Chaldean Catholic family living in the northern Iraqi city of Duhok when jihadists from the Islamic State (IS) overran Mosul and began expanding their control over large parts of northern Iraq. “I remember the night …
Continue reading “Catholic University in Erbil is celebrating ten years: Bravo!”
Harshly persecuted for her faith, Sofia ended up finding solace in God and the strength to forgive those who forced her from her country and nearly killed her several times. On August 6, 2014, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians had to leave everything behind and escape their homeland, as terrorists from the Islamic State …
Continue reading “The young girl who fled from Iraq and met the Pope”
