A Christian family in Pakistan attacked by an angry mob

A Christian was brutally beaten after a false accusation of burning pages of the Quran. A mob of fanatics destroyed their house and business. The victim is in hospital, in critical condition. (Cover photo: Screen capture). A Christian family in Pakistan suffered a violent attack at the hands of an angry mob of Muslim fanatics this …

Nigeria – Heroic staff save pupils as gunmen attack Catholic school at night

Hundreds of children have been kidnapped from schools across Nigeria over the past years, but fortunately the latest attack on a catholic school was foiled and nobody was killed or abducted. The quick thinking of a headteacher helped save the lives of sleeping students after armed extremists stormed a secondary school in Nigeria’s Middle Belt …

“The light of faith and the witness of the Gospel can shine again.”

Darayya, Syria Fifteen Catholic families are able to return to the Christian quarter of a suburb of Damascus thanks to the reconstruction of their homes with the help of ACN. This will secure the Christian presence in the place where, according to various Christian traditions, the conversion of the Apostle Paul occurred.  An elderly couple …

Nigeria – Leah Sharibu turns 21 in Boko Haram captivity

A jihadist captive turned 21 today (May 14th), six years after being abducted from her school in Nigeria and held hostage for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. (Cover photo: during a protest in 2018, a banner to request Leah’s liberation). On her birthday, a pastor close to Leah Sharibu’s family called on the Nigerian …

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 …

Breaking News-Burkina Faso-Catechist kidnapped and killed

Aid to the Church in Need expresses its deepest concern and sorrow following the kidnapping and subsequent killing of the catechist Édouard Yougbare from the parish of Saatenga in Fada Gourma, Burkina Faso. The catechist was abducted last night by terrorists and his lifeless body was found near Zigni this morning. According to local sources …

Pakistan – Still no justice for Jaranwala victims

A bishop in Pakistan has expressed his disappointment with the authorities for failing to bring to justice those behind one of the country’s worst attacks against Christians – and for not doing enough to help victims.    Highlighting the growing fears of his people, Bishop Joseph Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad said that more than seven …

India-ACN concerned at reports of increased persecution of Christians

With elections only weeks away in the world’s most populated country, local human rights organizations are warning of a rise in intolerance and of attacks on religious freedom. The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) expresses its deep concern over reports that are emerging from India, pointing to an increase in …

Pope Francis requests prayers for the “martyrs of our day”: their witness “is a blessing for everyone.”

 “The courage of the martyrs, the witness of the martyrs, is a blessing for everyone,” the Holy Father reflects in The Pope Video for March. This video is being promoted by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, produced in collaboration with Pontifical Charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), which support Christians wherever they are …

Pakistan – Bishop praises Supreme Court’s commitment to justice for Jaranwala victims

The president of Pakistan’s Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Samson Shukardin, has welcomed a Supreme Court decision to reject a government report into the authorities’ response to the attacks in Jaranwala last August, described by Church leaders as the “worst incident against Christians” in the nation’s history. Speaking to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in …