Nigeria: Up to 200 dead in worst killing spree

IDPs burned alive, shot dead and macheted Militants massacred up to 200 Christians in Nigeria’s Benue State on the night of Friday, June 13, targeting displaced families, setting fire to their buildings as they lay asleep inside and macheting anyone who tried to flee. The IDP families were in buildings repurposed as temporary accommodation in …

Pakistan: Christian girls continue to suffer from abuse and discrimination

A report compiled by Franciscan priest Lazar Aslam describes the plight of young girls and women who are subjected to rape, kidnapping, and forced marriage in a country where the law rarely affords Christians equal rights. (Banner photo: Published in 2022, the report Hear Her Cries highlighted the violence committed against women from religious minorities, …

Bishop calls for prayers as priest is kidnapped by jihadists in Nigeria

Father Alphonsus Afina was kidnapped on Sunday, June 1, in the Diocese of Maiduguri. The auxiliary bishop of Maiduguri, Nigeria, has called for urgent prayers for one of his priests who was kidnapped by jihadist terrorists. In a message sent to Aid to the Church in Need – International (ACN), Bishop John Bogna Bakeni said …

Nigeria – New Wave of Attacks

Dozens Killed, Priests Targeted, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt A series of brutal attacks on communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt have left at least 36 people dead, with several others injured or abducted, according to reports received by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) from the Diocese of Makurdi. The wave of …

Joy and devotion mark historic Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) pilgrimage to Rome

Over 1,000 people from various countries took part in the Jubilee of Hope pilgrimage and witnessed the election of Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square. An atmosphere of profound joy and steadfast devotion marked the recent pilgrimage* organized by Pontifical Charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). The event, which took place from …

Over 1,000 ACN benefactors to take part in “pilgrimage of hope” to Rome for the 2025 Jubilee

Over 1,000 benefactors of Pontifical Charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), from 23 different countries, will be participating in a pilgrimage to Rome, from May 7 to 10, 2025, within the context of the Jubilee that officially began with the opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica, on December 24, 2024.  …

Save the date: Red Wednesday – November 19, 2025

You are the voice of persecuted Christians Press Release – For Immediate Release Montreal, April 30, 2025 – On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Canada invites all parishes, dioceses, religious communities, schools, sanctuaries, Church institutions, and civil society groups in Canada to mark this important event on their calendars: …

Pope Francis “never forgot persecuted Christians.”

Death of Pope Francis – Aid to the Church in Need Canada pays tribute to a pastor close to the poor and the suffering Church Pope Francis “never forgot persecuted Christians.” Marie-Claude Lalonde, national director of ACN Canada Montreal, April 22, 2025 – Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Canada was deeply saddened to learn …

“We mourn a messenger of dialogue and mercy.”

ACN says farewell to Pope Francis “Pope Francis was the pontiff for the people on the edges of society and a tireless fighter for religious freedom and oppressed Christians. That is how we remember him, and we trust that we now have another advocate in heaven for our work.” So spoke the executive president of …

Burkina Faso: Mathieu’s Gethsemane

“Six hundred and ninety-eight, six hundred and ninety-nine, seven hundred.” Mathieu passes pebbles from one side to another. Seven hundred in all, one for each of the Hail Marys he has prayed that night. A night which to him feels like the evening in Gethsemane, in the Garden of Olives, where Jesus also felt alone, …