The heads of Christian Churches in the Holy Land have officially protested against a renewed attempt to force them to pay certain taxes in the State of Israel. The most pressing case at the moment is related to the Armenian Church, but there are many cases involving Catholic institutions.
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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 on 4 March, and found murdered in the early hours of 5 March. The Diocese of Kafanchan has seen at least one pastoral agent murdered each year since 2021.
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In South Sudan, a land where walking long distances is usually a sign of distress, an annual pilgrimage for peace is raising questions and changing attitudes.
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On International Women’s Day, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) spoke to Sister Marie Akl, a religious from the Congregation of the Good Shepherd, about her valuable work in the shelter for vulnerable young people in Nabaa, Lebanon, where children and adolescents manage to overcome their trauma through workshops, integral care and even personal defence classes.
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On International Women’s Day, we highlight the work of a group of religious sisters from the Company of Mary in Cuba, who have managed to continue to provide assistance to young people, the elderly and women with the help of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
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The Irishwoman who heads a global charity dedicated to protecting minority Christian communities has issued an urgent appeal for prayers for Syria, amidst fears of escalating sectarian violence.
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Three years of war have increased the spiritual needs of soldiers in Ukraine. Military chaplains are at their side day after day, helping them to bear their suffering. ACN heard from chaplains about how they bring God’s love and presence into the midst of death and destruction.
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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.
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Bishop Simon Kulli of Sapë, in northern Albania, speaks of the Albanian martyrs and their witness of hope for the Church, during a visit to the international headquarters of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), as part of this year’s Lent Campaign.
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Father Júnior Vásquez suffered a very serious leg injury a few years ago, due to the bad condition of his car. Now, with a new vehicle donated by ACN, he can reach even the remotest areas more easily. Fr Júnior Vásquez spends over six hours per day on the road. And that is only counting the time he takes to get from one parish to another to celebrate Mass.
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Bishop Raymond Mupandasekwa told ACN that the Church has been slow to recognise the immense contribution of religious sisters to the Church’s work, but that fortunately in Zimbabwe this is slowly beginning to change. We owe so much of the life of the Church to the hard work and dedication of women who have laid down their lives as brides of Christ to love God and serve others because of that love.
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The Christian community in Burkina Faso is in mourning following the murder of two catechists in a violent attack on Saturday, January 25, in the Diocese of Dédougou. The victims belonged to the parish of Ouakara and were attacked close to Bondokuy by two armed men while returning from a training session on the life and ministry of catechists.
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Over 70 bodies were found in a Protestant church in a village in Lubero, North Kivu, on the 15th February, according to local sources contacted by international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
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The wide plains of Upper Apure, in southwest Venezuela, are a meeting point for Andean heritage and the identity of the plain dwellers, with a strong indigenous presence and contact with Colombians just across the border. In the middle of this landscape rises the Christ of the Savannah, which has become a symbol of faith, identity and resilience for the Diocese of Guasdualito, which was created only nine years ago, in December 2015, and is supported by Aid to the Church in Need.
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Although the country now enjoys a fragile peace, there is still insecurity, leading the bishops in Central African Republic to appeal to the international community not to forget the African nation. The Church, they say, will continue to play its prophetic role. A unique spirit of dialogue and cooperation between Christian and Muslim leaders set the foundations for peace in the Central African Republic (CAR) following a brutal civil war. In this respect, the CAR stands in stark contrast to nearby African countries such as Chad, Nigeria and the Sahel region, where religion is often used to aggravate conflict and persecution.
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It is with profound sadness that ACN has received the tragic news of the brutal murder of Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, a 44-year-old priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mandalay, in central Myanmar. His lifeless body, mutilated and bearing numerous stab wounds, was found by members of his community on Friday morning in the grounds of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, where he served.
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After centuries of prohibition, the small Catholic community of Estonia is returning from the ashes. On 26 September 2024, Pope Francis erected the first diocese in the country. On 1 November of the same year, during an address to the Catholic Church of Estonia to mark the centenary of the creation of its first apostolic administration, Pope Francis congratulated it for being an “example of faith”, despite “decades of suffering, occupation and oppression”, and stated that “this admirable legacy of faith and charity will nurture the current generation of priests, religious and lay faithful”.
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Two weeks after the M23 armed group attacked the city of Goma, there is still fighting in the province of North Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, leading to a worsening of the humanitarian conditions in the region. A missionary in the country tells ACN that over 2,000 people have been killed, and that the hospitals are overrun with wounded. Even refugee camps have been attacked.
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