Shagufta Kausar was sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy and spent over eight years in prison. She recently shared her story at the launching of the Religious Freedom in the World Report, in Rome. In the summer of 2013, a mob broke into the simple house where Shagufta Kausar lived with her paralyzed husband, Shafqat …
Category archives: News
Burkina Faso: Two dioceses hit by new wave of attacks
The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) expresses its deep concern and sadness over the renewed upsurge in terrorism in the Dioceses of Nouna and Fada N’Gourma, respectively in the northeast and southeast of Burkina Faso. Over the past few weeks, civilians and members of the Church have once again suffered …
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Gaza: October 12, first Sunday of Peace After the Ceasefire
The parish priest of Gaza called on his flock to “forgive all those who have failed and to ask forgiveness” for their own shortcomings, as preparation for what he hopes will be an end to this war. (Photo of the banner: a painted wall located more than a thousand kilometers away, in Beyrouth. a little …
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Pope thanks children who prayed for peace in ACN campaign
This was the 20th edition of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN’)’s One Million Children Praying the Rosary campaign. Pope Leo XIV kept up the tradition of his predecessor, Pope Francis, by promoting the One Million Children Praying the Rosary campaign, organized by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), on social media,with a …
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Gaza: A first step towards peace after 733 days of war
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 …
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Mexico: A bullet-dodging bishop
In Guerrero, one of the most violent states in Mexico, faith is the last refuge for a population living under the weight of organized crime. Bishop José de Jesús González of the Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa carries out his pastoral mission with a commitment that has put him, quite literally, in the line of fire. Bishop …
Church clings to life amid chaos in Gaza
Aid to the Church in Need echoes Pope Leo’s call for peace The Gaza Strip is currently going through one of the darkest periods of its recent history. Yesterday a United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel has committed genocide against the population of Gaza, denouncing crimes against humanity in the conflict …
Aid to the Church in Need denounces new massacre in Ntoyo
The situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo is deteriorating. International Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) expresses its deep concern and solidarity with the families of the victims of a brutal attack carried out on September 8 and 9 in Ntoyo, in the parish of Saint Joseph of …
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“No one can silence the voice or erase the love of the martyrs,” says Pope
Aid to the Church in Need International executive president Regina Lynch says the organization is proud to support those who are persecuted or even make the ultimate sacrifice for their faith. (Cover: Mosaic in the heart of St. Paul out of the Walls, representing Jesus-Christ and the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul). Pope Leo XIV …
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Memory of the Martyrs: The Vatican Shares the Stories of 1,624 Christians murdered for Their Faith
An ecumenical memorial tribute will be held this Sunday in Rome, but the names will not be released at this time. (Banner photo: some of the victims of the church attacks in Pakistan in March 2015). A Vatican commission comprising historians, theologians, and other experts has documented the stories of over 1,600 men and women …