Securing the release of the remaining students and staff remains the top priority of the local church, Bishop Bulus Yohanna told ACN. A hundred of the 265 students and staff members abducted on November 21, 2025 from St. Mary’s School, Papiri, have been released after more than two weeks in the hands of their captors. …
Category archives: News
Mozambique – “You are not alone!”
Cardinal Parolin tells “heroic” Christians in Mozambique In a risky trip to Cabo Delgado, home to a ruthless jihadist violence, the Vatican’s Secretary of State thanked the work of Aid to the Church in Need. Cardinal Pietro Parolin recently concluded a trip to Cabo Delgado, an insurgency-ridden region in Mozambique, where he met with the …
Nigeria: catechist forgives man who tried to kill him over his ministry
Despite several attacks and one attempted murder, Tobias Yahaya and his family decided to remain in Sokoto to carry out his ministry of service to the Church. At around 3 a.m. on April 19, 2023, the security fence around Tobias Yahaya’s home, near Holy Family Cathedral in Sokoto, Northwest Nigeria, was breached by three armed …
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ACN raises religious freedom concerns at European Parliament’s “Human Dignity” event
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN – International) recently took part in the “Human Dignity” event, part of the yearly “European Prayer Breakfast,” which was held on Wednesday, December 3. The conference was held at the European Parliament and hosted by MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) Bert-Jan Ruissen (Netherlands, European Conservatives and Reformists …
Amid a fragile respite, an urgent plea from Gaza before Christmas
The Catholic parish in Gaza prepares for Advent during an unstable ceasefire. From the heart of the devastated city, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli of the Holy Family parish describes a disastrous sanitary situation and a day-to-day existence marked by a scarcity of means for rebuilding. The parish priest calls on the international community to pray for …
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Pope is travelling to Lebanon to “heal wounds” and “work for peace”
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 …
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Nigerian Bishops: “Lasting peace cannot be achieved through silence or delay”
Catholic Bishops of Nigeria warn of escalating violence and call for urgent action to protect life and religious freedom (Cover Photo, archive: displaced women by the violence in Nigeria, 2023.) Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) echoes the urgent appeal of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), which warns of the deepening security …
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Four Christians killed, villages razed in fresh attack in Mozambique
An estimated 128,000 people have had to flee the affected region, according to UN estimates. Photo: Displaced women (2024). At least four Christians were murdered by jihadists in northern Mozambique over the past days, in the latest wave of attacks of an insurgency which began in 2017. Although the insurgency began in Cabo Delgado Province, …
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Apostolic Vicar of Istanbul: “Our community awaits the arrival of Pope Leo XIV with profound joy and anticipation”
This year, the Church commemorated the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, an important anniversary for the entire Christian world. This November, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit Turkey, where the council was held, fulfilling the commitment made by Pope Francis before his death. International Catholic charity Aid to the Church in …
Archbishop Mourad: “The Church in Syria is dying. There is no freedom, religious or otherwise”
The end of Christianity in Syria would be a great loss, because “the Church stands as a reminder to everyone of the ethics of justice and human dignity as a supreme value.” Syriac Catholic Archbishop Jacques Mourad of Homs, Hama and Nabk was recently in Rome as one of those to take part in the …