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.
A Christian mother of four in Pakistan, former nurse Shagufta Kiran, has been fined 300,000 Pakistani Rupees (€950) and, appallingly, sentenced to death for sharing allegedly blasphemous messages on WhatsApp – but legal advocates, supported by a leading Catholic charity – have vowed to appeal the conviction.
Read MorePope Francis expresses great concern at growing attacks on religious freedom, after receiving ACN report . The Holy Father thanked ACN for its report which points to a decrease in religious freedom, and said he is praying for all those who are persecuted for their faith.
Read MoreCatholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Ireland has described as “remarkable” the interest that young people expressed in faith and especially prayer at the recent ploughing championships.
Read MoreThrough its support for a construction project in Iraqi Kurdistan, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has helped a religious order to strengthen its roots in the region, for the benefit of the surrounding Christian population. The construction project is a retreat house and shrine in a village named Araden, which translates from Syriac as "land of Eden".
Read MoreAid to the Church in Need has committed to helping the Diocese of Maiduguri, struck by terrible flooding, with the provision of food, sanitation, medicine and shelter. The Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Maiduguri, in Nigeria, has issued an appeal for help in the wake of devastating floods that are affecting the city in northern Nigeria, through a video sent to ACN.
Read MoreACN projects in the South of Lebanon are mostly emergency in nature and are needed now more than ever before, but the foundation is already studying ways to help thousands of displaced people, many of whom have taken shelter in churches.
Read MoreThere are likely less than one million Chaldean Catholics in the world. These brothers and sisters of ours have faced persecution for centuries. ACN is offering assistance to the Chaldean Catholics in Georgia, who have suffered much over the years on account of their Catholic faith.
Read MoreFollowing a thrilling trip to seven dioceses in Chile, Rafael D’Aqui, project coordinator for Latin America at Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), tells of how the Church is light and hope there in a time of challenge and need. Secularism a growing threat in Chile. The antidote is successful evangelism and apologetics which focus on the dignity of the human person, created in the Imago Dei.
Read MoreJihadists have killed 26 people in a church in Burkina Faso, many of whom are Christians. The attack took place only one day after the massacre in the village of Barsalogho, in the Dioceses of Kaya where at least 150 people were killed, although the actual number may be as high as 250, according to local sources, with another 150 seriously injured.
Read MoreOver 150 people have been killed in one of the deadliest attacks in the history of Burkina Faso. The Bishop of Kaya called for a day of mourning and three days of prayer for the victims. There have been multiple Islamist attacks in Burkina Faso this August. This was one of the bloodiest in the history of the country, which has been suffering from Islamist terrorism since 2015.
Read MoreACN continues to help Christian communities to survive in Israel and Palestine, supporting projects developed by the local Church to overcome the difficulties resulting from the continuing war. Currently, ACN directly supports 602 families in the Holy Land.
Read MoreOne year on from violence described as the worst ever outbreak of anti-Christian persecution in Pakistan, Church leaders say people are both terrified of more attacks and furious that culprits have not been brought to justice. The Christians of Jaranwala are grateful to ACN benefactors for making it possible for them to receive this very necessary aid from the charity.
Read MoreShagufta Kausar was falsely accused of blasphemy. For almost eight years she was separated from her family, her husband was beaten and tortured, and they were pressured to convert to Islam. Now free, she tells in an interview with Aid to the Church in Need how she found strength in her faith.
Read MoreOur colleague Clodagh Gallagher went to Youth 2000's summer festival, where almost 1,000 Catholics between the ages of 16 and 35 gathered to worship God and encourage one another in Christian community. If you are involved in an event in Ireland and would like us to attend, please email clodagh@acnireland.org.
Read MoreIn a region marked by uncertainty and fear, the parish priest of Gaza City, Fr Gabriel Romanelli, is trying to bring normality through education, providing children in Gaza with hope for a future.
Read MoreIn September this year, Pope Francis will be making his first trip to Papua New Guinea, a country introduced to Christianity only around 70 years ago. See stunning photos of this incredible mission territory, and read how our brothers and sisters there are enthusiastically preparing for his arrival.
Read MoreTen years after Iraqi Christians fled Islamic State forces assaulting their homes, 70,000 Christians have now returned to their ancestral homes in the Nineveh Plains, thanks to the support of Aid To The Church In Need. Take a peek into our archives from 2014 to see the suffering of our Iraqi brothers and sisters, and understand how monumental and joyful this return is.
Read MoreThis year more than 1,600 summer camps for young people are taking place in 18 countries ─ from Egypt and Jordan to Iraq, Georgia and Kazakhstan – thanks to funding by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in the amount of almost 2 million euros. These camps hope to provide hope and joy, and teach a reliance on faith in the most difficult situations.
Read MoreRepresentatives of ACN Ireland are visiting parishes, prayer groups and faith communities all across the country urging people to pray for Christians who are struggling around the world. Would you like to organise a visit to your parish?
Read MoreFor the Catholic Church, Africa is a continent of hope. While religious practice declines across Europe, fervent, lived Christian faith is increasing in African countries; it’s not only the lay faithful growing in number, but priests too. Today, one in every five Catholic priests come from Africa. Statistically, about half of these priests are financially supported in their mission by Aid To The Church In Need - often through Mass stipends.
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