The pilgrimage was instituted in 1884 by Fr Machado, the Venezuelan priest in the Diocese of La Guaira, after returning from a trip to the famous shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes in France. Tony Pereira, a lay member of the current organising committee, spoke to Aid to the Church [...]
On the first anniversary of a devastating earthquake, a bishop in Aleppo called for an end to Western economic sanctions which have plunged Syrians into abject poverty. Armenian Orthodox Bishop Magar Ashkarian of Aleppo told ACN that the sanctions imposed on Syria have caused much suffering, especially for minorities such [...]
In the Archdiocese of Tripoli, Lebanon, where Christians now make up only two percent of the population, the Church is actively promoting interreligious dialogue with Muslims, said the Maronite Archbishop of Tripoli, Mgr Youssef Soueif. During a meeting with a visiting delegation from the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church [...]
The six religious Sisters abducted in Haiti last week were freed on 24th January, Port-au-Prince Archdiocese has confirmed. The Sisters of Saint Anne and their two companions were held captive for five days after being kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on Friday, 19th January while travelling in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. Port-au-Prince Archdiocese [...]
Vehicles for God" was the motto of a fundraising campaign initiated by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) three quarters of a century ago. The aim was to procure motorcycles and cars that would be used to administer pastoral care in remote areas. In this interview, [...]
Pope Francis has said that the real treasure of Myanmar is its people. As civil conflict worsens, Aid to the Church in Need supports the repeated calls of the local Catholic Church for peace and justice, not only for Christians, but for all citizens in the country. On 1 February [...]
During a visit to the headquarters of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Miguel Angel Nguema Bee of Ebibeyin recounted the moving story of the first catechist to be martyred in Equatorial Guinea, José Si Esono, who the local Church would like to see beatified. The bishop also [...]
Haitian Church leaders have asked for “incessant prayers” for the release of six religious Sisters who were abducted in Haiti. Port-au-Prince Archdiocese and the Haitian Conference of Religious condemned the “heinous” act and implored the perpetrators “in the name of God” to release the captives in a joint statement. The [...]
Iraqi Christian parents have expressed great joy about the opening of a Catholic kindergarten in Erbil, kindling fresh hopes for the survival of the Church in a country where the faithful have endured so much suffering. The new playschool was created as an extension to Mar Qardakh School in northern [...]
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) provides health support to elderly religious sisters in northeast Brazil. Despite their age, the sisters remain very active in their communities, and continue to pray for their benefactors. Being a consecrated religious is a lifelong commitment, and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart [...]
