A dark weekend of Christian persecution

Almost 30 Christians were killed or kidnapped in different incidents in three different countries over the past few days. Fifteen Christians were killed and two wounded in an attack on Catholics in Essakane, in the Diocese of Dori, Burkina Faso. The attack, which took place on Sunday, 25 February, was carried out by terrorists who …

Haiti – Six kidnapped sisters released

The archdiocese of Port-au-Prince confirmed that the six religious sisters abducted in Haiti last week were freed yesterday (January 24th). The Sisters of Saint Anne and their two companions were held captive for five days after being kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on Friday, January 19th while travelling in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital.   The archdiocese said …

Haiti, January, 24: Join the Call to pray

On this Wednesday, January 24th, the Haitian Bishops’ Conference and the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince have released an appeal for priests, religious and the laity to organize a chain of unceasing prayer, adoration and Eucharistic celebrations in their parishes and communities “for the release of those kidnapped and their return to their families”on Wednesday, January 24. Maybe …

Six religious sisters kidnapped in Haiti

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) joins the Pope in asking for the immediate and unconditional release of the religious sisters from the Congregation of Saint Anne and for an end to the violence that plagues Haiti. Six religious sisters were kidnapped by armed criminals in Haiti, last Friday, 19 January. The crime took …

Mali – German priest freed after over a year in captivity

Fr Ha-Jo was aware of the risks to his safety by continuing to work in Mali, but persisted, driven by a desire to improve the situation for the country overall, and to remain with his small Christian community. A German priest who was kidnapped in Mali over a year ago has finally been freed. Hans-Joachim …

ACN Success Story – Togo

Three motorcycles for religious brothers in a rural area The “Rural Missionary Brothers” (Frères Missionnaires des Campagnes) have been working in Africa since 1969. Today, they are present in four West African countries: Togo, Burkina Faso, Benin, and Mali. However, numerous areas of West Africa now face the threat of jihadist terrorism. In Burkina Faso …

Nigeria-A seminarian burned to death and another kidnapped

Aid to the Church in Need International denounces the latest attack on the Catholic Church in Nigeria, in which a seminarian was burned to death in the diocese of Kafanchan, as well as the kidnapping of another seminarian in southern Kaduna. The terrible incident took place last night, around 8 p.m., Thursday 7 September, when 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 …

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 …

“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 …