ACN Malta congratulates Mgr Alfred Xuereb on his appointment as bishop and Nuncio to South Korea   The Archdiocese of Malta and the Diocese of Gozo have welcomed the appointment of Gozitan Mgr Alfred Xuereb as Apostolic Nuncio of Seoul for South Korea and his elevation to titular Archbishop of Amantea in Italy. Mgr was born [...]

ACN has high-level meeting to channel more UN help for Iraqi Christians in Nineveh Representatives of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) and the Knights of Columbus (KoC) were received on Monday by Mr. Mourad Wahba the Assistant Secretary General at the United Nations Development Programme to brief the [...]

SYRIA "When the sky turned black with bombs" - eyewitness account from Damascus   A religious Sister in Damascus has told how she, fellow nuns and students narrowly escaped death onTuesday, 20th February when the sky “turned black” on one of the deadliest days of the conflict in the Syrian [...]

SYRIA Pope and Nuncio appeal for end to violence   Pope Francis appealed for an immediate end to the violence in Syria, especially where the war has intensified in eastern Ghouta. He noted that February has been one of the most violent in the seven years of the conflict. “In [...]

NIGERIA Boko Haram abduct another 110 schoolgirls  Nigeria's government has acknowledged that 110 girls are missing nearly a week after Boko Haram militants attacked their town. Information minister Lai Mohammed issued a statement about the missing girls on Sunday 25 Feb after holding meetings with family members: “The federal government [...]

ITALY Rome's Coliseum turns red in memory of persecuted Christians Rome’s famous Colosseum was illuminated in red on Saturday 24 Feb to draw attention to the plight of persecuted Christians around the world. The event at 6 p.m. (local time) was the initiative of Aid to the Church in Need [...]

EASTERN EUROPE Church is a ray of hope when state and society offer few prospects   Nowadays, the media pays very little attention to the Catholic church in Eastern Europe. However, in many countries, its situation continues to be difficult, at times oppressive and its commitment is often decisive in [...]

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Vocations thrive in the midst of violence It was a touching moment when young Carmelite Christo professed his perpetual vows. His parents led him to the altar, just as the son is handed over to the bride during traditional African nuptials. In this case, the parents gave [...]

MYANMAR (BURMA): " Myanmar can only cry for its people in exodus"   Cardinal Charles Bo, Archbishop of Yangon,  has spoken about the sad reality of trafficking of people from his country, which he describes as ‘the epicentre’ of human trafficking. The Burmese Salesian Cardinal said “Myanmar as a country [...]

SRI LANKA  “Fundamentalists see Christianity as a threat”   Bishop Noel Emmanuel of the Trincomalee diocese in eastern Sri Lanka has visited the international offices of the Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Germany. In May 2009 the end of a 25-year civil war in Sri [...]