Nigeria: Bishop welcomes arrests in school kidnapping case

“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, …

Cameroon: A vibrant Church, but “conflict remains an open wound”

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 …

Nigeria:  “We are part of the martyrdom of the 21st century”

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 …

Church calls for tighter security after 10 slaughtered

According to leading Church figures, over 100 people have been killed and 90,000 displaced in the Taraba State region since September 2025. (Photo of the banner: A man bearing the flag of Nigeria.) Following a fresh massacre, the Church in Nigeria’s Middle Belt has again called for action to address extremist violence. On Tuesday, February …

Venezuela – Call for unity for national reconciliation

The bishops have asked for the release of political prisoners, for oil revenues to be applied to help the lower classes, and for the country’s sovereignty to be respected. The Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) joins the bishops of Venezuela in their request that all sectors of the country work together …

New Year begins with bloodshed: 50 killed in fresh attacks in Nigeria

The New Year has not begun peacefully in Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Kontagora. Just as the final days of 2025 were marked by violence and fear, early January 2026 has brought fresh bloodshed, including the massacre of 42 men in the village of Kasuwan Daji, not far from Papiri, where more than 200 schoolchildren were …

Burkina Faso: faith resists amid heavy international silence

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 …

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 …

Armed attack and mass kidnapping at Catholic Schools in Niger State

The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora has reported a violent overnight attack on St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, Nigeria, resulting in “the kidnapping of pupils, students, teachers, and school personnel, as well as a security guard who was badly shot.” According to the statement sent to Aid to the Church …

New mass abduction of schoolgirls in northern Nigeria

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 …