Despite the extreme poverty of its population, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the main suppliers of rare minerals in the world. The Church is committed to ensuring that miners are treated more fairly. They live far from the cities and can only imagine what the ugly grey rocks they extract from …
Continue reading “Democratic Republic of the Congo – The Church at the bottom of a mine”
Local Church sources have little doubt that the clashes that have pitted Hindus against Christians in the state of Manipur are part of a wider agenda to encourage the Hindu base to vote for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in upcoming elections. The fierce clashes that have been going on for weeks in the …
The Catholic Church has been playing a discrete but important role around dialogue that could effectively end the plague of terrorist violence in northern Mozambique. Father Eduardo Roca, a project partner of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), founded the Interreligious Centre for Peace, in the Diocese of Pemba, in 2017—the same year terrorist …
One year after the attack on St. Francis Xavier church in Ondo, Nigeria, none of the culprits have been brought to justice. Victims wear their scars as “badges of honour” and their faith is as strong as ever. A Nigerian priest has called for the beatification of around 40 Christians who were killed in an …
Continue reading “Nigeria – Priest calls for the beatification of Pentecost Sunday attack victims”
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) was present at the latest bishops’ conference in Brazil, the largest Catholic country in the world. The pontifical charity used the opportunity to spend time with the bishops of the poorest dioceses, but also to share stories of Christian suffering from other countries, namely Nigeria. The international charity …
Continue reading “Brazil – Bishops moved to tears over help received from ACN benefactors”
Regina Lynch becomes new executive president As of June 14, 2023, international Pontifical Charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) will be led by Regina Lynch, the long-serving head of projects for the charity. She will take on the role of executive director for the next five years from her predecessor, Dr. Thomas Heine-Geldern …
Continue reading “Changes in the leadership of ACN International”
The attack, which left two dead and six wounded, took place on May 16 at a Catholic school in Sangota, in northeastern Pakistan. (Cover Photo: Archive of 2018, in St. Joseph Primary School, Rawalpindi) A police officer who was doing security work for a Catholic school for girls in northeastern Pakistan opened fire on a …
A Catholic Archbishop who needs guard dogs in the house, and an armed escort when he travels, speaks of the difficulties of carrying out his mission in his diocese. Archbishop Matthew Ndagoso of Kaduna, in north-central Nigeria, leads one of the most dangerous dioceses in the world. You wouldn’t guess it, though, from his smile …
Continue reading “Nigeria: “Religion should unite us, not divide.””
Priests in war-torn Sudan are not abandoning their flocks despite the escalating conflict in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, and throughout the Darfur region. Despite a ceasefire, violent clashes continued between the semi-official Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army, with civilian deaths topping more than 850 (23-05-2023). Speaking to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in …
Continue reading “Sudan – As fighting erupts, priests stay with their flocks”
The 21 martyrs—20 Egyptian and one Ghanaian—who were killed by Islamic State militants in Libya, in 2015, will be commemorated on the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, making them the first saints to be honoured by both the Coptic Orthodox and Catholic Churches since their split following the Council of Chalcedon in 451AD. In …
