IDPs burned alive, shot dead and macheted Militants massacred up to 200 Christians in Nigeria’s Benue State on the night of Friday, June 13, targeting displaced families, setting fire to their buildings as they lay asleep inside and macheting anyone who tried to flee. The IDP families were in buildings repurposed as temporary accommodation in …
Continue reading “Nigeria: Up to 200 dead in worst killing spree”
“States have to change their perspective. It’s not about focusing on the number of Christians, but on the value that the presence of the Christians adds.” Cardinal Bechara Raï, patriarch of the Maronite Church In a statement to Pontifical Charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the patriarch of the Maronite Church, Cardinal Bechara …
Continue reading “Christians must be allowed to stay in the Middle East!”
A report compiled by Franciscan priest Lazar Aslam describes the plight of young girls and women who are subjected to rape, kidnapping, and forced marriage in a country where the law rarely affords Christians equal rights. (Banner photo: Published in 2022, the report Hear Her Cries highlighted the violence committed against women from religious minorities, …
Continue reading “Pakistan: Christian girls continue to suffer from abuse and discrimination”
Father Alphonsus Afina was kidnapped on Sunday, June 1, in the Diocese of Maiduguri. The auxiliary bishop of Maiduguri, Nigeria, has called for urgent prayers for one of his priests who was kidnapped by jihadist terrorists. In a message sent to Aid to the Church in Need – International (ACN), Bishop John Bogna Bakeni said …
Continue reading “Bishop calls for prayers as priest is kidnapped by jihadists in Nigeria”
Despite the very difficult conditions in Syria at the moment, and fear about the future, Archbishop Jacques Mourad believes that the lifting of sanctions will bring new hope. (Banner: December 2024, people in the streets of Aleppo after the downfall of El-Assad’s regime.) The situation in Syria continues to be one of severe poverty and …
Continue reading ““The people of Syria live without dignity or trust””
Former fellow missionary recalls Pope Leo’s dedication to the poor and suffering Pope Leo XIV served in Peru during a difficult period, when the Augustinians were under threat from terrorists and the population was struggling. “He made sure the poor were treated with dignity,” says Fr. Lydon. Pope Leo XIV is “going to hear the …
The Church of the Assumption was looted in 2019 and set ablaze in 2020. Some stories do have happy endings. On November 8, 2019, during a wave of street protests, several hooded people looted the 143-year-old Church of the Assumption, one of the oldest in Santiago de Chile. The looters made off with artwork and …
Continue reading “ACN helps rebuild Church burned down during street protests”
In a historic meeting, Pope Leo XIV received representatives from the Eastern Catholic Churches in an audience, during the pilgrimage of sui iuris Churches, as part of the Jubilee of Hope. The pope made a strong and deeply spiritual speech to the gathered Church leaders, which was received as a spark of hope amid different …
Continue reading “Meeting with Pope Leo XIV: A new hope for the Eastern Churches”
On the occasion of the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly in Rome (May 30 – June 1), Pontifical Charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is launching a special edition of its emblematic Child’s Bible, a classic in children’s catechesis that has accompanied millions of families all over the world since …
Continue reading “ACN launches a special edition of the Child’s Bible”
For three months, Gaza received no aid convoys, which meant that the parish had to ration the resources it had to feed the Christians within and some of the families that live nearby. The situation in Gaza, in the Holy Land, continues to be “very bad” according to Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, who is responsible for …
