ACN, like St Joseph, shining the light of God in the world

In a Christmas homily to the staff of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the newly-appointed president of ACN Cardinal Kurt Koch reflected on the example of St Joseph, emphasising how the mission of the Charity allows the light of God to shine in the world, “pointing to Christ, the sun of salvation”.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, affirmed that the charity, following the model of St Joseph, Jesus’ adopted father bears this radiance in its service.

The cardinal compared St Joseph to a star that “although it fades before the sun and recedes into the background, has thereby become transparent to the sun of Christ.” In the same way, ACN’s work becomes a place where the brightness of Christ is made visible.

“We need more women and men who offer silent help, who listen to God’s word, who participate in His work of salvation and thereby become a blessing to others.”

The year that is now coming to a close was one of important changes for both the Church and ACN International. A new Pope was elected, at a time when the charity’s international pilgrimage was taking place in Rome, and Pope Leo, who was an ACN project partner in Peru, spoke highly of the foundation’s work during an audience to present the findings of the 2025 Religious Freedom in the World Report.

In a message to ACN staff, executive president Regina Lynch recalled that “Pope Leo’s message to us was one of support and encouragement: ‘Dear friends, I thank each of you for this work of solidarity. Do not grow weary of doing good, for your service bears fruit in countless lives and gives glory to our Father in heaven.’”

“I share his words with you,” Regina Lynch continued, “for it is through your efforts and those of the national offices that we have been able to provide the same level of support to our project partners as in the past year. In fact, by the end of November we had the third highest income in the history of ACN.

The two years with the highest income – 2022 and 2023 – were marked by the outbreak of war in Ukraine and the earthquake in Turkey and Syria respectively. In 2025 there have not been any significant major crises. It is therefore especially encouraging to witness the loyalty of so many benefactors and the steady growth globally in the number of new ones,” she explained.

Pope Leo also accepted the resignation of former ACN President Cardinal Mauro Piacenza – to whom, according to Regina Lynch, “we will be eternally grateful for his wisdom and spiritual guidance” – and appointed as his successor Cardinal Koch. “Under his leadership and with your work and support we will continue to help the Church in these difficult times where the lack of religious freedom increases and as wars continue.”

Finally, the year also saw the departure of secretary general Phillipp Ozores, after twelve years of service. “In his time here, Philipp was responsible for initiating and accompanying years of important growth of ACN when we saw our potential to help the suffering or persecuted Church almost double in volume. We are most grateful to him for all that he did for ACN,” said Regina Lynch in her letter.

As the charity looks forward to a 2026 filled with challenges, the charity’s executive president expressed hope for the future.

“While a ceasefire in Gaza appears to be holding at the time of writing, we know at first hand of the growing suffering of the Christian communities in the Holy Land and of the challenges in so many regions of the world: the fall-out from the wars in Ukraine and Myanmar, a rapid spread of jihadism in Africa and increasingly autocratic rulers in some countries of Latin America and Asia.”

 

ACN’s executive president, Regina Lynch, concluded that “yet, as we celebrate the Feast of Christ’s Birth, hope and peace are gifted to the world and it is with Pope Leo’s own words that we would like to thank you once more and conclude this letter: ‘The peace Jesus brings is like a fire, and it asks a lot of us. It asks us, first of all, to take a stand. Faced with injustice, inequality, where human dignity is trampled underfoot, where the fragile are silenced: take a stand. To hope is to take a stand. To hope is to understand in our hearts and show in our actions that things must not continue as before.’”