His Beatitude Ibrahim Sidrak, the Coptic Catholic patriarch of Alexandria, heads the small Coptic Catholic Church, which has around 300,000 faithful. In an interview with the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), he shared his concerns and joys over his country, which has become a refuge for many Christians from other countries. …
Category archives: Near-East
Iraq: “Christians are like olive trees. You can burn them, but they will still bear fruit.”
Many feared that the invasion of their homelands would drive Christians from Iraq for good, but ten years after being driven from their homelands by militants of the Islamic State (ISIS), thousands of Christians have returned to houses in the Nineveh Plains rebuilt with the help of ACN, taking with them their love for the …
Gaza-Holy Land – Father Gabriel Romanelli returns to Gaza
Father Gabriel Romanelli returns to Gaza to provide spiritual and material support in the midst of war Despite the devastating humanitarian crisis, Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the Holy Family parish in Gaza, has made the courageous decision to return to Gaza and stand by his community. Regardless of the dangers and challenges …
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“The light of faith and the witness of the Gospel can shine again.”
Darayya, Syria Fifteen Catholic families are able to return to the Christian quarter of a suburb of Damascus thanks to the reconstruction of their homes with the help of ACN. This will secure the Christian presence in the place where, according to various Christian traditions, the conversion of the Apostle Paul occurred. An elderly couple …
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ACN approves massive solar panel package
In Lebanon and Syria, these projects will help the Church face the electricity crisis As the world celebrates the 30th anniversary of World Sun Day on May 3, and to underscore the importance of renewable energy resources, international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is highlighting how solar panels are making a …
“I am neither pro-Israel nor pro-Palestine. I am pro-human being.”
Benedictine Abbot in the Holy Land Six months after the terrible attacks by Hamas and the beginning of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, Abbot Nikodemus pleas for the conflict to be seen from a humanitarian perspective, transcending religious and political boundaries. (Cover Photo: The roofs of the old city of Jerusalem.) As the Palestinian-Israeli conflict continues …
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Near-East-Fighting to ensure that the testimony of Jesus Christ lives on
For years, Syria and Lebanon have witnessed a steady haemorrhaging of their Christian populations. Through its engagement in multiple projects, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is actively campaigning against the exodus of Christians. “I would like to get out of Syria as quickly as possible and join my father in the Netherlands, where …
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SAT-7: a lifeline of faith for Christians in Muslim-majority countries
The ecumenical Christian broadcaster runs several channels, in three different languages, and reaches millions of people with its satellite transmissions. Christians are a small minority in the Gulf Kingdom of Oman and almost all of them are foreign workers. So when Kurt Johansen, the executive director of Christian broadcaster SAT-7, told his hotel receptionist what …
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“It is a very special Easter; we are closer than ever to the crucified Saviour.”
The Christian community in Gaza is facing the most difficult period since the beginning of the war. Phone lines are cut and online communications are continuously disconnecting. One can hardly understand what Sister Nabila is trying to say: “quite,” “well,” “Church”… then the line goes dead, and that is how things have been for the …
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