IRAQ “The West must not remain indifferent”   Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon, spoke after Pope Francis' ecumenical encounter in Bari with Christian leaders to reflect on and pray for the Middle East. “I am so full of hope, and I return with such strength!” said [...]

INDIA Millions of Muslims may be deprived of citizenship and sent to prison camps   Human rights experts have warned that millions of Muslims in Assam could soon be removed from a list of “citizens” and later sent off to prison camps. The northeastern state of Assam is currently updating [...]

INDIA 10 Christian families driven from their homes   Earlier this year, Hindu nationalists posted a video online showing them trampling a photo of Pope Francis near Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi, the national capital, and calling for a Christian-free India. The news is emerging that on 5 June [...]

ERITREA The historic peace agreement with Ethiopia brings new hope to the region Following the historic visit to Addis Ababa by an Eritrean delegation last month, it was announced that the Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, would soon meet Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki. Last weekend, streets in the Eritrean capital [...]

ETHIOPIA Priests face hardship on the border mountains   Every morning and afternoon, tanks drive down the only road through the mountains. They are out minesweeping. You constantly have to be on your guard, if only because of the constant presence of soldiers. The guns of Ethiopia and Eritrea are [...]

“From houses to churches” - Report of ACN's main activities in 2017   Aid to the Church in Need’s (ACN) annual activity report for 2017 was presented on 4 July 2018 in Rome. ACN’s international director, Thomas Heine-Geldem was present alongside other ACN representatives, including Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, major penitentiary [...]

Pope Francis' introductory speech   Below is the Vatican-provided text of the Holy Father’s introductory speech at the ecumenical prayer for a peace meeting with Christian leaders and patriarchs representing Middle East Christians in the Italian city of Bari on 7 July 2018.   Dear Brothers, We have come as pilgrims [...]

Highlights of Pope’s ecumenical visit to Bari   On Saturday 7 July, Pope Francis hosted an ecumenical prayer meeting with representatives of the Christian churches in the Middle East, in the southern Italian city of Bari. “Peace be upon you! Christians together for the Middle East” was the motto of [...]

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC ACN provides emergency aid for the Diocese of Bangassou   Since December 2012, a large part of the Central African Republic has been undergoing an intense war in which the Selekas (Muslims) and the anti-Balaka militias (non-Muslims) clash violently, thus plunging the civilian population into horror. After [...]