CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Vocations thrive in the midst of violence It was a touching moment when young Carmelite Christo professed his perpetual vows. His parents led him to the altar, just as the son is handed over to the bride during traditional African nuptials. In this case, the parents gave [...]

MYANMAR (BURMA): " Myanmar can only cry for its people in exodus"   Cardinal Charles Bo, Archbishop of Yangon,  has spoken about the sad reality of trafficking of people from his country, which he describes as ‘the epicentre’ of human trafficking. The Burmese Salesian Cardinal said “Myanmar as a country [...]

SRI LANKA  “Fundamentalists see Christianity as a threat”   Bishop Noel Emmanuel of the Trincomalee diocese in eastern Sri Lanka has visited the international offices of the Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Germany. In May 2009 the end of a 25-year civil war in Sri [...]

EGYPT “Terrorist attacks will not undermine the unity of the Egyptian community”    “These attacks will not undermine the unity of the Egyptian community.” The words are those of Pope Tawadros II, Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, speaking to a delegation from the Italian [...]

MEXICO Another two young priests murdered   Mexico has been named “the most dangerous place to be a priest”, even worse than Syria, and sadly is living up to its reputation as the violence continues in the first few weeks of 2018. News has emerged that another two priests have [...]

IRAQ UN launches two-year Recovery Programme to fast-track reconstruction   Representatives from neighbouring countries and investors gathered in Kuwait this week to discuss ways to rebuild Iraq’s economy and infrastructure as it begins to recover from a devastating conflict against Islamic State militants who had seized almost a third of [...]

IRAQ  ACN pledges another US $5 million in immediate aid for  displaced Christians to return home “They can only come back if they have help”   To date, 35 percent of the Christian inhabitants of Iraq have returned to their hometowns, as the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in [...]