JAPAN Museum on persecuted Christians opens in Japan's oldest church   A museum about persecuted Christians in Japan was opened on 1 April 2018 in a large Catholic church in Nagasaki, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is Japan’s oldest church. On an opening day, some tourists visiting [...]

UGANDA New shrine brings healing to region once known for witchcraft and crime   “Don’t go there, they worship the devil there,” the people warned Bishop Francis Aquirinius Kibira. The region located in the southwestern part of Uganda at the border to the Democratic Republic of the Congo was considered a [...]

Pope and international community condemn gas attack on civilians in Douma   Last Saturday, 42 people were killed and hundreds injured in what appears to have been a toxic gas attack on the besieged town of Douma on the outskirts of the capital Damascus. According to activist groups, helicopters dropped [...]

INDIA Two parishes attacked and shrines vandalised by Hindu extremists   Two Catholic parishes in India were subjected to "premeditated and planned" attacks on the night of Easter Sunday. The incidents took place in the diocese of Rourkela, in the state of Orissa. The first attack occurred in the village [...]

PAKISTAN Four Christians killed by Islamic State in the city of Quetta News has emerged that the Christians who were killed last week were murdered by Islamic State in what is believed to be a religiously motivated attack. A police source said that four Christians from the same family were [...]

SYRIA “The end of the war in Syria is in the hands of the international community”   Having just recently completed seven years of conflict, the situation in Syria is starting to deteriorate again, according to Maronite Bishop Antoine Chbeir of Tartus The day-to-day life of a Syrian family in [...]

DEMOGRAPHIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO Catholic laity leading the way   Since the end of last year, when the Catholic laity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo began to openly protest against the situation in the country, there has been supporting from many quarters, both inside and outside the country. [...]

COLOMBIA New church in Medellin del Ariari commemorates victims of violence   The Catholic faithful of Medellin del Ariari is eagerly looking forward to their new church. Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, ACN was able to contribute 30,000 Euros towards this project, and now the new church is [...]

CHINA Bible sales banned online and in bookshops   Just as China pledged to uphold religious freedom, the country’s 70 million Christians are finding it harder to get a copy of the Bible. On Holy Saturday, China's communist government issued a ban on internet sales of the Bible, which can [...]

VATICAN Pope Francis will visit Ireland in August The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis will come to Ireland to participate in the final two days of the World Meeting of Families in Dublin on 25- 26 August. Pope Francis will take part in a faith-based cultural concert, the Festival [...]