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SAT-7, a lifeline of faith for Christians in Muslim-majority countries

The ecumenical Christian broadcaster runs several channels, in three different languages, and reaches millions of people with its satellite transmissions.  Christians are a small minority in the Gulf kingdom of Oman and almost all of them are foreign workers. So, when Kurt Johansen, the executive director of Christian broadcaster SAT-7, [...]

2024-03-20T14:09:38+01:00

Fighting against emigration to ensure that the testimony of Jesus Christ lives on in the Middle East

For years, Syria and Lebanon have witnessed a steady haemorrhaging of their Christian populations. Through its engagement in multiple projects, ACN is actively campaigning against the exodus of Christians. “I would like to get out of Syria as quickly as possible and join my father in the Netherlands, where he [...]

2024-03-20T13:31:41+01:00

UKRAINE: ‘The grace of the Lord is greater than the horror of war’

24 February 2024 marked the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Like the whole population, the seminarians are exhausted by this war. But uplifted by hope, they want to be a sign of God's presence where they are. The seminarians, scarred by the war but matured by their [...]

2024-03-20T12:41:03+01:00

GAZA: “We are closer than ever to the crucified Saviour”

The Christian community in Gaza is facing the most difficult period since the beginning of the war. Phone lines are cut, and online connections are continuously breaking. One can hardly understand what Sister Nabila is trying to say: "quite", "well", "Church"... then the line goes dead, and that is how [...]

2024-03-13T13:06:49+01:00

BISHOP CEFAI: “I call on you to come, and to be part of this mission”

Between coca plantations, illegal gold mining and a lack of vocations, Maltese Bishop Giovanni Cefai of the Prelature of the Santiago Apóstol of Huancané speaks about the difficulties of trying to evangelise in such a challenging atmosphere.                    The Prelature of Santiago [...]

2024-03-13T12:44:53+01:00

TURKEY: Keeping the light of Christianity alive in the forgotten Holy Land

ACN is assisting the Archdiocese of Izmir to maintain the Christian presence in Turkey. Archbishop Martin Kmetec of Izmir believes that Turkey is the “forgotten Holy Land”. “The Church of Izmir is the only one of the Seven Churches of Revelation to survive to this day”, explains the Slovenian-born Franciscan [...]

2024-03-13T12:33:03+01:00

VATICAN/INTERNATIONAL: Pope issues video prayer appeal for persecuted Christians

Pope Francis has hailed the courage of the martyrs in a video about Christian persecution. In the March edition of ‘The Pope Video’, produced in collaboration with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the Pontiff dedicates this month’s prayer intention to persecuted Christians. In the video, promoted by the [...]

2024-03-06T10:48:59+01:00

BURKINA FASO: ‘Faith has grown’ despite killings

Christians in Burkina Faso under threat from jihadists are not afraid to die for their faith, according to a local Church leader, speaking after the brutal killing of worshippers on Sunday (25th February). Bishop Justin Kientega of Ouahigouya Diocese, north-east Burkina Faso, told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) [...]

2024-03-06T10:42:35+01:00

International Women’s Day: Women on the rear line in Ukraine

On International Women’s Day, 8 March, ACN highlights brave wives, sisters, mothers and religious who are helping keep faith and hope alive in war-torn Ukraine. The war in Ukraine is not only an assault on an independent nation, struggling to survive, it is also a war against the family, as [...]

2024-03-06T10:36:16+01:00

MOZAMBIQUE: Their greatest risk is to become forgotten faces

The Bishop of Pemba says the situation caused by the jihadist insurgency is at its worst point, but fears that worse may still be to come. Speaking to the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop António Juliasse of the Diocese of Pemba, in northern Mozambique, paints a frightening [...]

2024-02-28T13:10:17+01:00