The ACN Journal provides the latest news about Aid to the Church in Need and our work protecting the rights of Christians and supporting the suffering and persecuted Church.
The Rwandan genocide of 1994 is known worldwide, but what is less well known is that it resulted in the neighbouring eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo being shaken by successive wars and crises. Over the course of these three decades, the Congolese church, with the help of ACN, has brought hope to a sorely tried population.
Read MoreThe Archbishop of Panama spoke to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about his experience in the region of the Darién Gap, one of the most inhospitable migratory routes in Latin America. Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa highlighted the urgent need for attention and action in the face of the terrible conditions that thousands of migrants face while attempting this perilous crossing.
Read MoreFather Gabriel is the sixth priest to be kidnapped in Nigeria this year alone. The other five were all released unharmed. Unknown assailants kidnapped a Catholic priest from his parish in Kaduna State, north-west Nigeria, on Sunday, 9 June.
Read MoreTwo years on, the terrorists suspected of murdering more than 40 worshippers during Pentecost Sunday Mass in southwest Nigeria still have not been charged.
Read More10/06/2024, Author: Amy Balog
On the 10th anniversary of Daesh (ISIS) seizing Mosul – heralding its invasion of the Nineveh Plains – an Iraqi archbishop has said more help is needed for the Christian community to thrive.
Read More06/06/2024, Author: Filipe d’Avillez
Father Jacob Thelekkadan decided to remain in Sudan during the civil war to support the Salesian religious sisters in Dar Mariam to provide shelter and basic aid to the displaced. Despite the bombings and extreme shortages, they maintain an atmosphere of faith and serenity thanks to the Eucharist and daily prayer, gifting hope in the midst of the conflict.
Read More04/06/2024, Author: John Pontifex
A leading Catholic bishop has made an impassioned plea calling on world powers to come together and demand that the Pakistan authorities act to protect the lives of persecuted minority faith groups under increasing threat from flagrant misuse of the country’s notorious blasphemy laws.
Read More04/06/2024 Author: Lucía Ballester
The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) supports a prison ministry programme for priests and lay volunteer missionaries in the Archdiocese of Guayaquil, Ecuador, to care for and accompany both prisoners and their families, offering hope in the environment of insecurity that has taken over the country in recent months.
Read MoreThe Apostolic Vicariate of Mitú in Colombia covers 54,000 square kilometres, making it larger than Belgium, the Netherlands, or Switzerland. The pastoral work carried out is mostly missionary in nature. Mitú is also where a lone ACN benefactor tries to live out his faith as an example of the community that helps sustain the Church.
Read More04/06/2024 Author: Maria Lozano
We bring you the testimony of Sister Joséphine Toyi from Burundi. Born into a context of political crisis, with the help of ACN, she was able to study and became one of the first Burundian religious to obtain a Doctorate in Theology.
Read More04/06/2024 Author: Maria Lozano
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has received urgent and distressing reports from its local partners in Wabag Diocese, Papua New Guinea, concerning the landslide that occurred in the early hours of Friday, 24 May 2024. This tragic event has had a devastating impact on some communities of the diocese.
Read More29/05/2024
Mexicans go to the polls on 2 June, in a context of unchecked violence, including a total of 45 attacks against politicians during the current electoral process, with 30 candidates murdered. In the midst of this war-like situation, the Catholic Church sees itself accosted by both government agents and criminal gangs as it tries to mediate peace processes and protect its faithful.
Read MoreThe international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need is in close contact with its local partners in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, the areas worst affected by the floods, and is committed to helping with recovery efforts.
Read MoreA Christian was brutally beaten after a false accusation of burning pages of the Quran. A mob of fanatics destroyed their house and business. The victim is in hospital, in critical condition.
Read MoreDespite the devastating humanitarian crisis, Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the Holy Family parish in Gaza, has made the courageous decision to return to Gaza and stand by his community. Regardless of the dangers and challenges that lie ahead, Father Gabriel is determined to provide spiritual, moral, and material assistance to those in need, whatever their religious affiliation.
Read MoreThe pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) urges its friends and benefactors to join in prayer for the Church and Christians in China on 24 May.
Read MoreThe Vatican is preparing to hold the first World Children’s Day, 25-26 May. Pope Francis, in his message for this occasion, emphasizes the preciousness of every child in God’s eyes. In 1979, ACN marked the “International Year of the Child” by producing the Child’s Bible to assist the Church’s pastoral outreach. Since then, millions of children have learned to pray in their own language by reading the Child’s Bible, in one of the almost 200 languages it is translated into. Testimonies from all over the world attest to this.
Read MoreFr Basil Gbuzuo is the fourth priest to be kidnapped in 2024 in Nigeria. Last year a total of 28 priests were kidnapped in the African country.
Read MoreCabo Delgado was ravaged by two major militant offensives. Armed groups, allegedly linked to ISIS, targeted the town of Macomia and the villages of Cajerene and Missufine, exacerbating the region's displacement crisis. As the violence escalates, the Church intensifies its humanitarian response in northern Mozambique.
Read MoreA jihadist captive turned 21 today (14th May), six years after being abducted from her school in Nigeria and held hostage for refusing to renounce her Christian faith.
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