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 …
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Nigeria – Priest calls for the beatification of Pentecost Sunday attack victims
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 …
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Brazil – Bishops moved to tears over help received from ACN benefactors
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 …
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Changes in the leadership of ACN International
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 …
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Pakistan – Bishop calls for better security after policeman kills two girls at Catholic school
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 …
Nigeria: “Religion should unite us, not divide.”
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 …
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Sudan – As fighting erupts, priests stay with their flocks
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 …
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Christian martyrs become a symbol of ecumenism and friendship between Orthodox and Catholics
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 …
“Without Christians… there will not be a peaceful and harmonious Lebanon.”
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) supports the formation of seminarians all over the world. In Lebanon, this is about more than just preparing men to be good priests; it has to do with guaranteeing a peaceful future for the country, and a stable environment in which Christians can thrive. The Maronite Patriarchal Seminary …
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“Evil will not have the last word,” says priest about violence against Christians in his country.
Burkina Faso Churches must be guarded so that Christians can pray in safety. Catholic nurses disguise themselves as Muslims so that they can travel to villages to treat patients. Christian girls wear full-face veils to go to school, so as not to be kidnapped. To resist the jihadists in Burkina Faso requires much courage, explains …