This year, the Church commemorated the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, an important anniversary for the entire Christian world. This November, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit Turkey, where the council was held, fulfilling the commitment made by Pope Francis before his death. International Catholic charity Aid to the Church in …
Tag archives: Pope Leo XIV
“Just like St. Peter, I was freed by a ‘miraculous earthquake,’” says Pakistani Christian
Shagufta Kausar was sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy and spent over eight years in prison. She recently shared her story at the launching of the Religious Freedom in the World Report, in Rome. In the summer of 2013, a mob broke into the simple house where Shagufta Kausar lived with her paralyzed husband, Shafqat …
Pope Leo XIV calls for renewed commitment to defend religious freedom and stand with persecuted Christians worldwide
The Holy Father receives Aid to the Church in Need in private audience This morning, October 10, 2025, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV received Pontifical Charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International in a private audience at the Vatican, marking 25 years of the charity’s continued mission to defend the right to religious …
Pope thanks children who prayed for peace in ACN campaign
This was the 20th edition of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN’)’s One Million Children Praying the Rosary campaign. Pope Leo XIV kept up the tradition of his predecessor, Pope Francis, by promoting the One Million Children Praying the Rosary campaign, organized by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), on social media,with a …
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Gaza: A first step towards peace after 733 days of war
As indirect talks continue in Egypt between Israeli envoys and Hamas, a cautious hope for the beginning of peace is taking root in the Diocese of the Holy Land. The parish priest of Gaza’s only Catholic parish shared with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) the heavy toll of two years of war. “Two …
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Church clings to life amid chaos in Gaza
Aid to the Church in Need echoes Pope Leo’s call for peace The Gaza Strip is currently going through one of the darkest periods of its recent history. Yesterday a United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel has committed genocide against the population of Gaza, denouncing crimes against humanity in the conflict …
Memory of the Martyrs: The Vatican Shares the Stories of 1,624 Christians murdered for Their Faith
An ecumenical memorial tribute will be held this Sunday in Rome, but the names will not be released at this time. (Banner photo: some of the victims of the church attacks in Pakistan in March 2015). A Vatican commission comprising historians, theologians, and other experts has documented the stories of over 1,600 men and women …
Christian clergy in Gaza defies evacuation orders to remain with their flocks
In a joint statement, the Latin Catholic and Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Jerusalem call on both parties to end hostilities and allow families on both sides to begin to heal the wounds of war. (Photo of the banner: Already in 2024, people in Holy Family Parish were praying for peace.) Both the Catholic and the …
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Pope “close” to suffering people of Cabo Delgado
According to Mozambican Bishop António Juliasse, the Pope’s message is that no war should ever be forgotten. Pope Leo expressed his closeness to the people of Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique, during his Angelus address on Sunday, August 24. Pope Francis had previously referred to the insurgency in Cabo Delgado on several occasions. “I express …
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Parish priest after attack on Gaza’s only Catholic church: “Everything happened very quickly”
The Church of the Holy Family, the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip, was hit last Thursday, July 17, in an attack that left its community mired in pain and uncertainty. A shell, according to initial reports, fired from an Israeli tank killed three people and wounded 15 more, including the parish priest, Father …