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BURKINA FASO: Seminary attack latest chapter in Country’s rising wave of Islamist terror

A minor seminary in eastern Burkina Faso was attacked on the night of Feb. 10-11 by unidentified armed jihadists. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) received the sad news that the minor seminary Saint Kisito de Bougui, in the diocese of Fada N’Gourma, East Burkina Faso, located about ten [...]

2022-02-16T15:08:09+01:00

IRAQ: ACN helps promote the Pope’s legacy in Iraq through higher education

The scholarships will allow the Catholic University in Erbil to enrol more than four times as many Christian students as it has already. Iraq 07/03/2021Pope Francis's arriving at Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil in his visit to Iraq 2021. Less than one year after the Pope’s historic visit [...]

2022-02-16T14:57:48+01:00

SRI LANKA: Cardinal Ranjith slams arrest of Catholic activist

The arrest of an outspoken young Catholic activist in Sri Lanka on Monday has drawn the condemnation of the country’s prominent Church leader, who expressed concern over the threat to the freedom of expression and the return of the dreaded ‘white van” culture in Sri Lanka. Improper arrest Shehan Malaka [...]

2022-02-16T14:50:44+01:00

UKRAINE: Church offers hope amid “very dangerous escalation”

The leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said on Friday that the Church is offering hope to the country’s beleaguered population amid a “very dangerous escalation” in the Ukraine crisis. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk was speaking on Feb. 4 at an online event marking eight years of conflict in [...]

2022-03-14T13:35:32+01:00

UKRAINE: ACN is partnering with the Albertine brothers to change the lives of poor and homeless people

Out of necessity, Viktor breaks up his floor. Now that he and his wife have no steady work, due to the war in Ukraine, he and his sons Wasiliej and Kola proceed to saw the planks into pieces for the stove to heat the house. The boys both hope to [...]

2022-02-09T15:25:17+01:00

HAITI: “The people are tired, worn out, exhausted.”

The bishops of Haiti have issued an urgent plea, saying the country must pull together to stop its “descent into hell”. The message, signed by all Haiti’s bishops, called for action to stop the country from descending further into chaos. “Our dear Haiti is crossing a difficult stage in its [...]

2022-02-09T15:28:42+01:00

CARDINAL TAGLE: “Persecuted Christians are prophets for all of us”

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has pointed out that "Religious freedom is a serious and urgent concern". The Cardinal stated this in a speech during the presentation of  the Religious Freedom in the World Report , edited by ACN, at the Abat Oliba University (UAO) CEU in Barcelona. “Our brothers who [...]

2022-02-09T15:02:40+01:00

UKRAINE: “Priests in most threatened regions are “heroes of our time”

At a time when the drums of war seem to be very loud, with thousands of Russian soldiers on the Ukrainian border, the Church reaffirms its commitment to peace, dialogue and support for the most threatened populations. This commitment was reaffirmed by Bishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek [...]

2022-02-09T14:52:03+01:00

MYANMAR: Parishes deserted and clergy forced to hide in the jungle

At least 14 parishes in one Burmese state alone have been abandoned, with clergy forced to hide in the jungle and laity sheltering in a cathedral, ACN has been told. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) – which marked the upcoming anniversary of the power grab on Tuesday (1st [...]

2022-02-02T14:32:17+01:00

VENEZUELA: With the Bible and YOUCAT, young people are empowered to shape the future of their Country

For several years now Venezuela has been going through a crisis almost without parallel – a crisis only further exacerbated by the pandemic. Almost 80% of the country‘s approximately 33 million citizens today suffer extreme poverty, and many indeed real hunger. There is a dire lack of basic necessities, including [...]

2022-02-02T14:22:31+01:00