IRAQ - “We will kill you all” IS graffiti in German found in a recaptured villageVarious photos sent by Stephen Rasche, a solicitor of the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil, to the international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), document the presence of extremists from European countries among [...]
“People will go back when Mosul is liberated” The displaced Christians in Erbil will probably not be able to return to their villages in the Nineveh Plain until summer 2017. While the military operations have broadly secured the area, snipers, mines and pockets of militants remain. Until the final liberation of [...]
Pope calls for action on climate change In a message addressed to the Moroccan minister for foreign affairs, Salaheddine Mezouar, Pope Francis said we have a “grave ethical and moral responsibility” to act on climate change “without delay.” Mezouar, chaired the 22nd meeting of the Conference of Parties to the United [...]
Congratulations Archbishop George Anthony Frendo, O.P. The National Director of Aid to the Church in Need (Malta), the staff, benefactors and friends would like to congratulate Mgr George Frendo on his consecration as Archbishop of Tirana.We pray to God and Our Lady to guide Mgr Frendo in his new mission as [...]
Democratic Republic of the Congo - ACN funds new care centre for orphans and the sick Already one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in the world, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been thrown still further into destitution and chaos by the continuing violence and armed conflict in the country. [...]
IRAQ - Archbishop Nona: "I was bishop of a diocese that no longer exists"“The diocese of Mosul is no longer, swept away when the self-proclaimed Islamic State sowed terror in the plain of Nineveh. But this diocese will come back, and so hopefully will the people,“ states Archbishop Amel Shamon [...]
Mosul Christians fear they can never return home Two years after IS conquered Mosul, some of the city's Christians still live as refugees in St Mary's Church in Amman, Jordan - one of several churches in the Jordanian capital that opened its doors to terrified refugees who arrived with nothing but [...]
CAMEROON - “We are still alive because we were in church” Time and again, the northern part of Cameroon has become the scene of suicide attacks by terrorists from Boko Haram.The people in Maroua-Mokolo are afraid. Time and again, the dioceses located along the border to Nigeria have become the scene of [...]
SOMALIA - Church reopens for remaining Catholics after 20 years “Even if it has to be silently, it is better to be there than not to be there”, explains Bishop Giorgio Bertin, the apostolic administrator of Mogadishu and bishop of Djibouti, referring to the presence of the Catholic Church in this part [...]
Pope calls on religious leaders to condemn acts of terrorism As the Year of Mercy drew to a close, Pope Francis met with around 200 representatives of different religions at the Vatican including Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims who all work in fields related to charity and mercy. The Pope expressed [...]