Harshly persecuted for her faith, Sofia ended up finding solace in God and the strength to forgive those who forced her from her country and nearly killed her several times. On August 6, 2014, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians had to leave everything behind and escape their homeland, as terrorists from the Islamic State …
Continue reading “The young girl who fled from Iraq and met the Pope”
Two years after an atrocity described as the worst outbreak of violence against Christians in Pakistan’s 78-year history, the local bishop of the district has said that not one of the thousands of suspects has been brought to justice – and that he and his people are furious. Bishop Indrias Rehmat said Christians in …
Continue reading “Pakistan: Two years on, justice still not done”
On Monday, August 11, women and children in Benue State, Nigeria, blocked a road in protest at the lack of security after their besieged town fell victim to yet another fatal attack. Three people were killed, and three others were critically injured in Yelewata, Benue State, on Monday, at around 8 a.m. The town, which …
Continue reading “Nigeria – “People are protesting” after three more murders”
The Mercedarian Sisters were the second congregation to suffer an armed robbery in a matter of days, as the violence in northern Mozambique steadily worsens. (Archive: Mercedarian Sisters, including some from the convent that was attacked). Almost a month ago, on June 8, the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, in the Diocese of Pemba, …
Continue reading “Religious robbed, held at gunpoint, and threatened with decapitation”
This is the story of Aparecida, an 80-year-old widow who represents thousands of benefactors of the charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) around the world. Like the widow in the Gospel story, Aparecida doesn’t give to ACN what she has left over but rather makes sacrifices to help those most in need. The …
“We feel that we are alone”: the priest echoes the pain of the Christian community after the Damascus attack last Sunday. Father Fadi Azar, Syrian priest, speaks about the situation of Christians “Christians in Syria are feeling a great pain. The Christian community throughout Syria is going through a moment of deep sadness: the loss …
Continue reading ““We have the right to go to church and pray in peace.””
A Friend, a shepherd, a witness: ACN remembers Iraqi bishop It is with sadness and gratitude that Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) bids farewell to Bishop Paul Thabet Habib of Alqosh, who passed away on June 20, following a battle with cancer. To us, he was not only a close partner but a …
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 …
Continue reading “Nigeria: Up to 200 dead in worst killing spree”
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, …
Continue reading “Pakistan: Christian girls continue to suffer from abuse and discrimination”
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 …
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