November Marks Red Wednesday!

Press Release – For Immediate Release On November 20, Aid to the Church in Need Canada (ACN) will observe Red Wednesday, an international event during which churches and other prominent buildings will be illuminated in red. This colour symbolizes the blood of Christian martyrs and enables ACN to shed light on the fact that many …

Despite the bombardments, religious sister remains in Southern Lebanon

Despite ongoing airstrikes, a religious sister has decided to stay with the Christian community in Ain Ebel, Southern Lebanon, just five kilometres from the Israeli border. “There are still some 9,000 Christians here in three different villages. We are in constant danger,” reports Sr. Maya El Beaino from the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of …

Pakistan: Christian woman sentenced to death

Shagufta Kiran, mother of four, to appeal conviction A Christian mother of four in Pakistan has been sentenced to death for allegedly sharing blasphemous messages on WhatsApp. But legal advocates, supported by a leading Catholic charity, have vowed to appeal the conviction. Former nurse Shagufta Kiran, 40, was sentenced to death on Wednesday, September 18 …

Burkina Faso: “As a pastor, my heart bleeds”

In only a decade, Burkina Faso has become an epicentre of terrorist violence, with over 40% of the country’s territory outside of government control. The Catholic Church is one of the institutions that provides material and spiritual support in this situation. Two Burkinabe priests from one of the dioceses that has been hardest hit by …

Pope Francis expresses great concern at growing attacks on religious freedom, following ACN report

The Holy Father thanked Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) for its report which points to a decrease in religious freedom, and said he is praying for all those who are persecuted for their faith. Pope Francis was given a copy of the Religious Freedom in the World Report for 2023, published by the …

Interview — “God was with me in this struggle.”

Unjustly imprisoned for eight years in Pakistan Shagufta Kausar was falsely accused of blasphemy. For almost eight years she was separated from her family, her husband was beaten and tortured, and they were pressured to convert to Islam. Now free, she tells in an interview with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) how she …

Jaranwala one year later – no justice, no safety 

One year on from violence described as the worst outbreak of anti-Christian persecution in Pakistan, Church leaders say people are both terrified of more attacks and furious that felons have not been brought to justice. Leading clergy in the Diocese of Faisalabad reported that security services warned Christians in Jaranwala against holding outdoor events today …

Iraq, August 6, 2014: one story, one hundred thousand faces (2)

Story written by Maria Lozano, director of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International’s Press and Media Department. In it, we read the testimonies of the people that the ACN delegation was able to meet, shortly after the invasion of the Nineveh Plains by the Islamic State (IS). Here is Part 2, in which …

Iraq, August 6, 2014: one story, one hundred thousand faces (1)

Story written by Maria Lozano, director of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International’s Press and Media Department. In it, we read the testimonies of the people that the ACN delegation was able to meet, shortly after the invasion of the Nineveh Plains by the Islamic State (IS). In this first part, we recall …

Attacks on Christians are increasing in Israel

The Holy Land’s Christians have suffered a “disturbing rise” in attacks including spitting, physical harassment, damage to property and cemeteries, and disruption of services. (Cover photo: The cross over the Duomo, Holy Sepulchre Church, Jerusalem.) The findings are part of a report by the Jerusalem-based Rossing Center, called Attacks on Christians in Israel and East …