The murder of seminarian Andrew Peter follows the recent killing of Fr Sylvester Okechukwu. Nigeria has had three times more kidnappings of clergy and religious in the first three months of 2025 than in the same period of 2024. (Cover photo: Pray to Christ on the cross for the suffering Church in Nigeria. Add your …
Continue reading “Nigerian Church in pain as 21-year-old seminarian murder”
Since 2021, at least one pastoral agent has been murdered every year in the Diocese of Kafanchan. The bishop of the Diocese of Kafanchan in Kaduna State, Nigeria, has expressed his “deep sorrow and righteous indignation” over the abduction and subsequent murder of one of his priests. Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu was abducted from his residence …
Continue reading “Sorrow and indignation over murder of Nigerian priest”
A total of five priests and two religious sisters have been kidnapped in Nigeria this year alone. Besides Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu, who was murdered, two remain missing, while the other four were released. (Cover photo: A destroyed crucifix in Burkina Faso, a country where the security situation for Christians is challenging too.) A Catholic priest …
Over 70 bodies were found in a Protestant church in a village near Lubero, North Kivu, according to local sources contacted by the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). The killings took place between February 12 and 15, in a village called Maiba, near Lubero. On February 12, rebels from an …
In December—including on Christmas Day—a series of attacks on Christian communities left dozens dead, according to recent reports from local Church sources shared with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Dozens of Christians were killed in attacks at and around Christmas time in Nigeria, especially in Benue State. News of these attacks only recently …
Continue reading “Massacres spoil Christmas celebrations in Nigeria”
The Diocese of Nouna thanks Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) for supporting catechists. (Cover photo: Emmanuel is one of the catechists who, because of his extreme poverty, is one of the food aid recipients). Thanks to help from the international pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the Burkinabé Diocese of …
The number of priests and religious kidnapped in 2024 increased, while the number arrested for reasons of persecution decreased. In total, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) registered 122 cases impacting priests and religious, including 13 murders, 38 kidnappings, and 71 held under arrest. Ten of these incidents involved women, eight of whom were …
Continue reading “Being a priest today: One of the most dangerous missions in the world”
Message of a Pakistani Priest for Christmas In Lahore, Pakistan, where Christians make up only a small minority in a predominantly Muslim society, Christmas takes on a special meaning. Despite facing significant challenges and restrictions, the Christian community continues to celebrate the birth of Christ with deep faith. Father Lazar Aslam, a Franciscan Capuchin priest, …
Continue reading ““Never take the freedom to express your faith for granted””
Catechists, often at the risk to their own lives, are pillars of the Church in Burkina Faso. Despite the continuous terrorist threats against them, they assure, in the absence of priests, the continuity of faith in villages and displacement camps. In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a priest from the …
Continue reading “In Burkina Faso, catechists are the heroes of the Church”
In solidarity with those who suffer in silence for their faith During #RedWeek, from November 17 to 27, 2024, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) united people from all around the world to pray for persecuted Christians. Worldwide solidarity and prayer vigils, as well as the illumination of over 1,000 monuments, churches, and public …
Continue reading “Red Wednesday 2024: The World, United in Red for Religious Freedom”
