East Timor – Pope’s visit expected to be a source of hope and many blessings

Devotion to the Catholic Church is one of the distinguishing aspects of East Timorese culture. Francis will be the second pope to visit the territory, but the first since independence. East Timor is one of the world’s youngest countries, having obtained independence in 2002. Pope Francis’ visit from September 9 to 11 this year will …

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 …

DRC-Bishop calls on authorities to end the torment of the Congolese people

After new massacres in North-Kivu, Msgr. Sikuli Paluku, bishop of Butembo-Beni, in a message sent to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), denounced the atrocities committed by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) since the beginning of June 2024. The bishop insists that there cannot be a separation between faith and the defence of human …

Pakistan calls for“swift and impartial justice” following mob killing of Christian man

Christians in Pakistan have demanded Punjab officials bring to justice the perpetrators of the brutal attack on Nazir Gill Masih in Sargodha, which resulted in his death. (Photo : Church authorities meet police chief after attack, May 25). In a recent report sent to the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), …

Father’s Anton message for Benefactors’ Day 2024

Father Anton Lässer, International Ecclesiastical Assistant, addresses a message to the benefactors of ACN on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, a day dedicated to them. Dear ACN Family, Last week, the presidents from ACN’s 23 national offices met with our charity’s management in Königstein. There, the leaders of our project department gave an overview …

Child’s Bible: 45 years of teaching children about God’s love

The Vatican held the first World Childre’s Day on last May 25-26. Pope Francis, in his message for this occasion, emphasizes the preciousness of every child in God’s eyes.  In 1979, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) marked the International Year of the Child by producing the Child’s Bible to assist the Church’s pastoral …

Pakistan: Another victim of religious persecution

On June 3, Nazir Gill Masih, a 72-year-old Christian, succumbed to his injuries. A resident of Sargodha, a town in Punjab province, he had been beaten by a mob falsely accusing him of blasphemy 10 days earlier. (Cover photo : On May 25, Archbishop Joseph Arshad and Christian Senator Tahir Khalil Sindu visited the police …

Papua New Guinea – Aid to the Church in Need appeals for prayers following devastating landslide

The landslides are being blamed on particularly intense rainfall and the death toll is estimated to be in the thousands. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has received urgent and distressing reports from its local partners in the Diocese of Wabag, Papua New Guinea, concerning the landslide that occurred in Enga Province in 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 …

A Christian family in Pakistan attacked by an angry mob

A Christian was brutally beaten after a false accusation of burning pages of the Quran. A mob of fanatics destroyed their house and business. The victim is in hospital, in critical condition. (Cover photo: Screen capture). A Christian family in Pakistan suffered a violent attack at the hands of an angry mob of Muslim fanatics this …