Pope Francis dedicates his first prayer message of 2022 to combatting religious discrimination and persecution. He reminds us that religious freedom is not limited to freedom of worship; rather, it is tied to fraternity. Indicating fraternity as the path to follow, the Pope invites us to value other people’s differences [...]
Bishops in Jerusalem have warned that the existence of Christianity in the Holy Land is threatened by “a systematic attempt” to drive the community out. The Statement on the Current Threat to the Christian Presence in the Holy Land issued by the Patriarchs and heads of local Churches in Jerusalem [...]
Christianity in Nepal dates back to the 16th century and, until 1983, Nepal was part of various Indian dioceses. On the invitation of Nepalese kings, Capuchin priests arrived in Kathmandu Valley in 1715, evangelized and built churches. After the unification of Nepal as a Hindu kingdom, all Christians were expelled [...]
Bright and celebratory lights used to be a staple of Christmas decorations in Aleppo before the beginning of the Civil War, but the soaring price of electricity in the city makes such things seem like a luxury now. According to the Maronite Archbishop of Aleppo, Joseph Tobji, Christmas this year [...]
“My name is Majid. I now live with my family in Lebanon, but my father tells me that we are originally from Syria and that our real home is there.” This 12-year-old boy is one of the thousands of refugees who were forced to leave their country and seek refuge [...]
The economic situation in Lebanon, which has further worsened after the COVID-19 outbreak and the 2020 blast in the Port of Beirut, has plunged the Lebanese people into unprecedented poverty levels. More than three families out of four face food insecurity in the country. The Lebanese Lira has lost over [...]
The persecution of Christians by Muslim extremists in West Africa was discussed at a two-day conference in Burkina Faso recently. Nigerian Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, of the diocese of Makurdi, called for dialogue with Muslims and the establishment of a Justice and Reconciliation Programme to promote peace and forgiveness. “Fury, [...]
Inspired by the One Million Children Praying the Rosary campaign, a prayer group of ACN benefactors made and donated thousands of colourful decade rosaries for our staff to take as small gifts to children on their project visits. Given the COVID pandemic, travel has been severely restricted leaving the box [...]
Following a mob attack by right-wing extremists on a Catholic school, a leading cleric has said that Indian Christians will never be safe under Prime Minister Modi’s government. Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about the assault carried out by about 500 people on St Joseph school [...]
Hardly noticed by the world, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated into war in Nagorno-Karabakh on 27 September 2020. A ceasefire between the two countries was negotiated on 9 November 2020. With countless war crimes, more than 4,000 fallen Armenian soldiers – almost an entire generation of young men [...]
