“The families will be relieved and happy to hear that those who planned the abduction of their children have been arrested. This is truly good news,” says Bishop Bulus Yohanna. (Banner: In February 2026, religious leaders held a press conference against terrorism and asked for the government to act.) Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna of Kontagora, …
Continue reading “Nigeria: Bishop welcomes arrests in school kidnapping case”
The local Church hopes the visit will mark a “before and an after,” more than four decades after the last. Note: This text was written before Pope Leo’s visit, taking place there from April 21 to 23, the final stop of an African journey that also took him to Algeria, Cameroon, and Angola. The Church …
Continue reading “Equatorial Guinea’s spiritual preparation for historic papal visit”
As Pope Leo XIV prepares to visit Cameroon on April 15 & 16, Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) interviewed Bishop Emmanuel Dassi of Bafia about the reality of the local Church in Cameroon, its social and political role, and the challenges facing the country – particularly in the Anglophone region, which …
Continue reading “Cameroon: A vibrant Church, but “conflict remains an open wound””
The bishop of Wukari tells ACN about the suffering of his people and says that the federal government of Nigeria must do more to stop violence. The Diocese of Wukari, in Taraba State, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, is experiencing a severe security crisis caused by armed groups composed mostly of the Fulani ethnic group. “In …
Continue reading “Nigeria: “We are part of the martyrdom of the 21st century””
Priest warns of ‘guerrilla warfare’ following these violent attacks (Banner photo: illustration.) A priest has warned that terrorists are “infiltrating” villages after a suspected suicide attack in Northeast Nigeria resulted in multiple deaths. Father Joseph Fidelis, from the Diocese of Maiduguri, told pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that several attacks had …
Continue reading “Nigeria — Dozens Killed in Suicide Bombings”
The only diocese in Mauritania has just celebrated its sixtieth anniversary. Bishop Victor Ndione, who has led the Diocese of Nouakchott for two years, speaks to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about the challenges of being a pastor in a transit country affected by irregular migration. (Banner photo: Migrant workers in …
Continue reading “The challenges of ministering to a community of migrants”
The Church in northern Burkina Faso deplores the lack of media attention given to the terrorist crisis it is suffering, with displaced people facing enormous needs and Christian communities showing great resilience. During a visit to the international headquarters of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), in Königstein, Germany, Bishops Théophile Naré and Justin …
Continue reading “Burkina Faso: faith resists amid heavy international silence”
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. …
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 …
Continue reading “Nigerian Bishops: “Lasting peace cannot be achieved through silence or delay””
The attack represents “a major blow to the education of young girls, which is already quite rare in these parts of the country,” say local sources. The abduction of around 25 students from the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, in Nigeria’s north-western state of Kebbi, has plunged the community into deep shock. A …
Continue reading “New mass abduction of schoolgirls in northern Nigeria”
