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.
When Pope St John Paul II visited Ireland in 1979, one of the places he wanted to go to was the ancient monastic site of Clonmacnoise. The Pope knew, that while the Faith in Ireland seemed robust at the time, great challenges would come – and he wanted to remind us of the deep roots of the faith on this island.
Read More28/06/2024, Author: Paulo Aido
When terrorists overran the town of Mocímboa da Praia, most of the population, including Christians, fled. Now, the Christians who returned have no access to the sacraments and no clergy or religious to assist them, but they continue to gather close to the ruins of the local church to pray together every Sunday.
Read More28/06/2024, Author: Lucía Ballester
In Batey 5, a peripheral area of the Diocese of Barahona on the border with Haiti, three missionaries, with the support of Aid to the Church in Need, help fight poverty and social exclusion in the neediest parish in one of the poorest dioceses in the Dominican Republic.
Read More25/06/2024, Author: Maria Lozano.
It is with great sorrow that Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has been informed of the passing of Alla Rakhi, the widow of the late Nazir Masih, who tragically was killed in the Sargodha incident. Overwhelmed by grief and depression over the death of her husband, Alla Rakhi succumbed, leaving the community of Mujahid Colony in Sargodha in deep mourning.
Read More25/06/2024, Author: Sina Hartert.
After new massacres in North-Kivu, Mgr Sikuli Paluku, Bishop of Butembo-Beni, in a message sent to ACN, denounces the atrocities committed by the ADF since the beginning of June 2024. The bishop insists that there cannot be a separation between faith and the defence of human dignity.
Read More25/06/2024, Author: Maria Lozano.
ACN’s accounts for 2023 once again reflect the generosity of the foundation’s benefactors from all over the world to help suffering Christians and the Church in Need. Ukraine, Syria and Lebanon were the countries that received the most aid in 2023, while Africa was the continent which received the most support.
Read MoreACN and the local Church are calling for prayer so that peace may be restored to the region. Daily rocket fire in southern Lebanon is plunging the inhabitants into deeper poverty than they were already suffering as a result of the terrible financial crisis in 2019. The Church is standing with the people, providing practical help for their needs and providing a moving witness of courage.
Read MoreChristians in Pakistan have demanded Punjab officials bring to justice the perpetrators of the brutal attack on Nazir Gill Masih in Sargodha, which resulted in his death.
Read MoreThe 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.
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