A minibus for pastoral work in Basra Today, Christians are only a very small minority in Iraq. Up until the year 2002—before the Third Gulf War—there were still over 1.2 million of them, but war, persecution, and poverty led to a mass exodus of the Christian population. Estimates today put the number of Christians remaining …
Tag archives: Christians in the Middle East
Egypt: “We’ve seen real progress”
His Beatitude Ibrahim Sidrak, the Coptic Catholic patriarch of Alexandria, heads the small Coptic Catholic Church, which has around 300,000 faithful. In an interview with the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), he shared his concerns and joys over his country, which has become a refuge for many Christians from other countries. …
Gaza-Holy Land – Father Gabriel Romanelli returns to Gaza
Father Gabriel Romanelli returns to Gaza to provide spiritual and material support in the midst of war Despite the devastating humanitarian crisis, Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the Holy Family parish in Gaza, has made the courageous decision to return to Gaza and stand by his community. Regardless of the dangers and challenges …
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Brutal murders of Christians in Nigeria’s Middle Belt continue
Local community leaders say that the attacks followed tactics similar to those employed by armed bandits responsible for the Christmas massacres in Nigeria. Religion is a factor in the conflict which also has ethnic and economic roots. (Archive photo: a woman in tears after the attacks of Christmas 2023. This Easter time, the same scenario …
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Iraq – ACN helps Catholic school build a new kindergarten
Thanks to the generosity of Aid to the Church in Need’s benefactors, a growing Catholic school in Erbil was able to open a new kindergarten to accommodate the increasing number of children. Education is vital for the survival of Iraq’s long-suffering Christian community. Economic deprivation and unemployment are at present the biggest issues facing Christians …
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Holy Land: Fresh aid offers hope to Christians living on the breadline
Pontifical Charity Aid to the Church in Need has announced a second package of emergency aid for Christians who lost their livelihoods because of the war in Gaza. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) will be supporting the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem with $700,000 between January and April 2024, bringing the combined total amount …
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Syria: Milad means Christmas
How a little ray of hope brightened the darkness for a family in Damascus during Christmas Even the faces of the seven children look sad and serious. Somewhat tense, they sit next to their parents on the worn-out sofa. The living room is surrounded by bare, light brown walls from which the plaster is crumbling …
Gaza City: Two dead and seven injured in attacks on Church grounds
Two women were shot dead by snipers in the church grounds of the Catholic Holy Family parish in Gaza City, on December 16, according to a press release by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, sent to the international charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Seven other people were injured. On the same day, …
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“Continue to be generous!”
Press Release Aid to the Church in Need’s Christmas Campaign 2023 Since December 2nd, the Canadian office of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has been in the midst of its Christmas campaign, and the generosity of benefactors has been overwhelming. “I’m always moved by the generosity of our benefactors towards their sisters and …
Gaza parish damaged by attacks
As the war rages on, Aid to the Church in Need is saving lives in the Holy Land The Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem has confirmed that shrapnel from Israeli army strikes on buildings near the Church of the Holy Family destroyed water tanks and solar panels on the roofs of parish structures this past weekend. …