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BISHOP SILVANO PEDROSO: A humble shepherd who was close to the people

Pontifical Charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) expresses its deepest regret over the death of Bishop Silvano Herminio Pedroso Montalvo, of Guantánamo-Baracoa, on 13 June, at the age of 73, following a serious illness. His death is a great loss for the Catholic Church in Cuba as the [...]

2026-06-17T09:01:57+02:00

NIGERIA: Terrorists burned Adama Dutse to the ground. Faith, persistence and help from ACN rebuilt it

The reconstruction of a remote village in Nigeria is a sign that hope can triumph over despair, and violence will not have the final word.  On 27 May 2026, the Archbishop of Kaduna in Nigeria visited a remote village to celebrate mass with his faithful. But this was no ordinary [...]

2026-06-17T08:37:41+02:00

FIFA WORLD CUP: 14 of the competing nations are marked by religious persecution or discrimination

As 48 countries prepare to battle for the World Cup, religious freedom remains an elusive goal for one in every three nations competing.  The 2026 FIFA World Cup, taking place from 11 June to 19 July across the United States, Mexico and Canada, has brought together 48 nations for the [...]

2026-06-17T08:26:59+02:00

War brings both hope and despair to Lebanon

Archbishop Hanna Rahme, of Baalbek Deir El-Ahmar, in Lebanon, seeks to keep up evangelisation efforts, welcome refugees, live alongside the Shias and encourage hope in the midst of constant crises and successive wars.  The Congregation of the Monks of Beit Maroun, Servants of the Cedar of Lebanon, is a new [...]

2026-06-03T15:06:23+02:00

“Religious persecution in Europe and the Americas has become a trend”

The number of churches attacked or vandalised in Europe and the Americas continues to rise, while Christians often lack the legal instruments to fight back against discrimination and persecution.  Christians suffer persecution and limits to their religious freedom in many parts of the world, with increasing violence and hostility in [...]

2026-06-03T14:50:21+02:00

‘Your presence is a mission’ says new Chaldean Catholic head to Iraq’s faithful

THE new leader of the Chaldean Catholic Church has pledged to do everything in his power to strengthen its presence in its historic homeland. Patriarch Paul III Nona was officially installed on Friday (29th May) during a solemn ceremony in the Cathedral of St Joseph, Baghdad, Iraq. Leaders of other [...]

2026-06-03T14:34:30+02:00

Nigerian priest released from ‘Den of Kidnappers’

A PRIEST in north-west Nigeria has been set free after being held captive by terrorists for three months. Father Nathaniel Asuwaye was kidnapped on Saturday, 7th February, when gunmen attacked Holy Trinity Parish in Karku, Kaduna State, where he serves as Parish Priest. In a statement shared with Catholic charity [...]

2026-05-20T09:09:28+02:00

Christians in southern Lebanon fear they will never return home

The Christian residents of the south Lebanese border town of Yaroun fear that they will never be able to return to the land of their ancestors. Fr. Charles Naddaf, the parish priest of the local Melkite Greek Catholic church, spoke to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about the community’s concerns. [...]

2026-05-20T09:06:22+02:00

Remembering Sudan: A responsibility that we must all bear

A missionary warns that the world has forgotten about Sudan, a country currently experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world due to a three-year-long civil war.  In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Fr Diego Dalle Carbonare, a Comboni missionary with experience in Egypt, Lebanon [...]

2026-05-20T08:21:05+02:00

Islamists reduce historic church to rubble in northern Mozambique

The attack on the parish of St Louis de Montfort did not inflict any casualties on the missionaries but generated widespread panic among the Christian population.  A historic church in Meza, in the region of Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, was reduced to rubble during an attack by jihadist insurgents, on [...]

2026-05-06T10:27:30+02:00