The Holy Land’s Christians have suffered a “disturbing rise” in attacks including spitting, physical harassment, damage to property and cemeteries, and disruption of services. The findings are part of a report by the Jerusalem-based Rossing Center, called Attacks on Christians in Israel and East Jerusalem, which examined the increase in [...]
The heat in Erbil is overwhelming, with its semi-desert surroundings and its crushing 44-degree Celsius temperatures of Iraqi summer. At first, one is struck by a deceptive air of peace in this city, the capital of Kurdistan. There is nothing to suggest that in this part of the world, at [...]
Thanks to support from ACN, three members of the Missionaries of Saint Mary of Guadalupe are committed to serving indigenous communities in remote and forgotten regions. “I don’t mind busting my sandals, Lord, in order to follow you and serve you,” says Sister Aura Marina López, one of the three [...]
With the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and escalating tension between Israelis and Palestinians, Christians in the West Bank and Jerusalem find themselves in an increasingly desperate situation. Reinhard Backes, Middle East Project Consultant for the international pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), reports on a [...]
A priest in Haiti has described how clergy dedicated to helping people in desperate need are being targeted by gangs for calling out injustices. Many parishes have been forced to close and Church workers have been kidnapped as 80 percent of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince is ruled by criminal gangs, Father [...]
In a joint statement, the Venezuelan Bishops Conference highlights the crucial role of the people in defining the country’s future in the elections scheduled for 28 July. Venezuela is preparing for presidential elections in 2024 and legislative elections in 2025, both occurring in a complex political climate. As the date [...]
The Catholic Church in Belarus is highly involved in pastoral work with children and young people. Every week, hundreds of children attend catechesis, and every year numerous children receive their first Holy Communion. During the Soviet period, the practice of religion was severely restricted, but thanks to the deep faith [...]
Bishop Tesfaselassie Medhin tells the international pontifical foundation ACN about the terrible human rights violations that occurred during the devastating war from 2020 to 2022 in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray, and particularly the sexual violence against women and girls. Parts of his diocese are still occupied, and many [...]
An amendment to the Christian Marriage Act means that girls and boys cannot marry below the age of 18. Though only a first step, this could make it easier to curb cases of abduction and forced marriage of Christian girls in the country. The Catholic Church in Pakistan has applauded [...]
When he converted to Christianity, at age 12, Gerald Musa’s father could scarcely have imagined that his son would become the first bishop of his influential Hausa ethnic group. Though mostly used nowadays to refer to the Pope, bishops in the Catholic Church have traditionally been called “pontifex”, which is [...]
