Originally from Pakistan, Sister Shahnaz Bhatti is a member of the congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Jeanne-Antide Thouret. She was serving in Afghanistan until 25 August, when she was able to leave the country through the help of the Italia...

The threat of Daesh (ISIS) and other extremists in Iraq has grown following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan – according to one of the Middle East’s most respected bishops.

In an exclusive interview with the Portuguese national office of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN International), Bishop Antonio Juliasse, the apostolic administrator of the diocese of Pemba, describes the situation his diocese has been going through over t...

Ali Ehsani is 38 years old and a lawyer by profession. After a very long and difficult journey, he arrived in Italy at the age of 13; he was all alone. He had fled Afghanistan after his Christian parents were killed for their faith. His only brother died...

On 6 August 2014, the city of Qaraqosh fell into the hands of IS. The city is located on the Nineveh plains about 25 km outside of Mosul and was once considered the largest Christian city in the country. The Christians living in this region of Iraq were f...

How the pandemic influences the working practice of a Charity.

Father Giovanni Scalese is a priest of the Order of Clerks Regular of Saint Paul (the Barnabites) and the Superior of the Church’s sui iuris mission in Afghanistan. In a recent interview with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN International), he spoke about h...

The Church of the Assumption in the Chilean capital Santiago was one of the churches that was vandalised and burned during the protests of 18 October 2020.

Churches across Pakistan have stepped up security in response to the threat of terrorist attacks following the Taliban’s return to power in neighbouring Afghanistan.

The monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the town of Hazmieh, in the suburbs of Beirut, is a popular destination for Christians of all denominations, and indeed for Muslims as well.

From 5 to 12 September this year the International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest, Hungary will bring together Catholics from all over the world to deepen their faith in the importance of the Eucharist and reflect on the mission of the Church to make Go...

Pope Francis will meet the Roma minority in Košice – the 2nd largest Slovak city – during the papal visit to Slovakia from September 12th to 15th.

Many countries are lacking in resources or basic freedoms. In the West we frequently encounter a lack of faith.

Speaking by telephone to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN International), Cardinal Chibly Langlois, Bishop of the diocese of Les Cayes, described the terrible situation facing his people in Haiti.

On August 19, the 102nd anniversary of the country's independence from British rule, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman of the Taliban declared Afghanistan as the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” in its official Twitter account.

Pakistan: "The lives of victims accused of blasphemy are forever threatened and many have been killed."

19 August marks the 30th anniversary of the coup carried out by the Soviet military and Communist elites.

ACN Ireland is launching an initiative stressing the importance of the Eucharist and uniting all 26 dioceses in the country.

The international community is shocked at the situation in Belarus, which is marked by the brutal suppression of protests and sanctions.

Seven years after the invasion by the Islamic State (IS) group, young Iraqis are taking their chances and are moving back to their homeland.

It was a low-key, private pilgrimage. On the first Sunday of August Father Pier Luigi Maccalli visited the shrine of Fatima in Portugal to thank Our Lady for his liberation last October, after almost 2 years of captivity at the hands of a jihadist group i...

Lebanese priest pause to remember a turning point in his homeland.

People of Myanmar: Let us raise our hands and pray

The charity approves an overall aid package of over 8 million AUD to help Catholic communities in India cope with the crisis.

Damascus, Syria — Christian Hope Centre, a Syrian organization supported by the Catholic Church, has opened its first ever microprojects program centre in the Syrian capital of Damascus.

“I was lost, and have been found. I was dead, and I am alive again.” These were the words of gratitude expressed by Father León Douyon, a Catholic priest from the town of Ségué in the diocese of Mopti, in Mali, after having been liberated on 13 July this...

With profound grief and sorrow ACN has received the news about the death of Bishop John Hsane Hgyi from Pathein, in Myanmar, due to COVID-19.

"Kolay gelsin,” means “may it come easily."

One in every two Catholics in the world are from Latin America. With almost 500 million Catholics, and despite the ever-growing presence of sects, about 44% of all Catholics in the world live in Latin America.

Sister Francine, kidnapped on July 8 in Goma, in the eastern Democratic Province of Congo, is free again. This was announced by her religious community, the Daughters of the Resurrection, to the worldwide pontifical charity "Aid to the Church in Need" (AC...

The pontifical foundation ACN confirms the release of Father Leon Douyon, Catholic priest from Ségué in the Mopti region of Mali, yesterday afternoon, Tuesday 13 July.

The congregation of the Daughters of the Resurrection appeals to the benefactors of ACN for prayers.

“This sad event marks an unfortunate turning point in the history of our people” the bishops of Haiti deplore. "

“Pray a great deal for me…”

ACN provides future and hope to refugees through pastoral care for children.

Zimbabwe's recent re-imposition of a lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has focused global attention once again on this distressed country.

“His fate should be a wake-up call for the international community.”

The international pontifical foundation ACN has received news of a jihadist attack on Fantio and Dolbel, two towns in the Tillabéri region, in southwestern Niger.

How ACN is backing the family and the future of the children of Baghdeda (Qaraqosh).

The economic and political crisis in Lebanon, home to the Middle East’s largest Christian community, has deepened ahead of a historic July 1 meeting between Pope Francis and Christian leaders from the country.

Today ACN is able to tell the inspiring story of this courageous Mozambican catechist.

An ACN programme is giving them new hope and equipping them to fight for a better future.

The Maronite Archbishop Chucrallah-Nabil El-Hage is involved in the prayer initiative “Peace Day for the East,” which will bring together all of the Middle East beginning on Sunday 27 June. In an interview with the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church...

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN International) welcomes the Day of Peace for the Middle East.

Mission accomplished – a pickup truck for the Capuchin missionaries in Kpassa.

A historic Lebanese church, that sustained severe damage in August 2020’s devastating blast, is on track to reopen in July 2021, thanks to help from ACN.

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) project partners denounce war conditions and inaction by the Nigerian government.

Among the victims in the aftermath of the bloodiest terrorist attack since Islamist violence began are also Christians.

“They are wounds that will be difficult to heal”, says Father Kwiriwi Fonseca of the diocese of Pemba in northern Mozambique.

News of burned out villages and barbarous beheadings of individuals has become commonplace in this region.

On the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Masses will be celebrated throughout the world for our benefactors.

ACN welcomes the announcement of an emergency meeting in the Vatican.

Christine du Coudray retires after 28 years at ACN International as head of project department for Africa.

The targeting of young people, indiscriminate killings and widespread sexual violence – including the rape of nuns – is part of a genocide against the Tigrayan ethnic group of northern Ethiopia, according to a source close to the Church.

Catholic nun expresses concern for the situation of the people following a mass exodus from Goma, a city of 2 million people.

Prayers for the people of Goma

Four people killed – Cardinal Bo speaks of a “humanitarian tragedy”

A Bishop has taken personal charge of negotiations to secure the release of a retired parish priest kidnapped in northern Nigeria five days ago.

Unadulterated horror and new life often go hand in hand in Nigeria. The deeply moving story of one of the victims of Boko Haram is one such example.

By Maria Lozano

Prayer for the Holy Land

By Ximena Rondon & María Lozano

Aid to the Church in Need supports the work of lay preachers all over the world.

Bishop from East Congo deplores terrorism and human rights violations in a talk with Aid to the Church in Need.

Manaus in Brazil is the capital of the Amazonas state and one of the principal financial, industrial and economic centers of the northern region of Brazil.

The Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need expresses its satisfaction to the appointment of Christos Stylianides, a Cypriot national, as Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU.

India is all over the news these days. The pandemic, which is a threat to people worldwide, has delivered a particularly hard blow to the country.

An interview with Bishop Paluku Sikuli Melchisédech.

The head of the Greek Catholic Church talked with ACN about his hopes that Pope Francis will visit the war-torn country.

The Catholic Church in Latin America has not been spared the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Catholic priest tells ACN, “We need help – both material and spiritual."

ACN Project Manager for South Sudan: “Years of armed conflict have made South Sudanese increasingly vulnerable.”

8 years on since the abduction and we still have no news of these two missing Bishops.

ACN shows solidarity with the Catholic Church of the island state.

By Mario Oliver (ACN International)

Recently, the houses of 450 Catholic families in Hyderabad and Karachi were destroyed as part of an anti-encroachment drive—targeting homes considered to be illegal settlements—by Sindh provincial government.

Congolese bishops‘ conference calls for a new strategy to combat rebel militias.

By Sebastian Moll

“We are going to have to live with terrorist attacks”

By Paulo Aido and Maria Lozano

“We are running, fleeing, trying to hide here on the shore. They are shooting everywhere. May it be as God wills, here in Palma...”

Two suspected suicide bombers have attacked the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Makassar, the capital of Indonesia’s South Sulawesi province on the morning of March 28 when parishioners had just finished the celebration of Palm Sunday. The attack kille...

As Easter approaches, Catholics who volunteer to provide security for churches around the country have begun participating in meetings at local police stations to protect parishioners.

Cardinal appeals to protestors not to turn to violence.

Since 2003 all Iraqis have suffered the burdens of war: kidnapping, displacement, and death.

Expert talks about the motives behind the military coup.

Thanks to a donation from Pope Francis, ACN has been able to help persecuted Christians in Iraq in the Niniveh Plains.

Archbishop Bashar Warda, who will be hosting Pope Francis on his visit to Iraq, hopes for more awareness on the part of the Muslim majority for the country’s Christians.

The situation in the Sahel region is worrying. In the interview below Maria Lozano of the international Catholic pastoral charity and pontifical foundation ACN, speaks with Bishop Laurent B. DABIRE, of the diocese of Dori, in northern Burkina Faso.

Religious minorities in Pakistan, such as Christians and Hindus, face painful discrimination and persecution from the majority Muslim population. A new initiative by the government is meant to put a hold to this. ACN asked Shahid Mobeen, Pakistani Profess...

The Bishop’s Conference of the Caribbean island deplores the explosive security and political situation.

The Catholic Church in Mali (Africa) continues to pray and work for the release of the Colombian sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez Argoty, who was kidnapped four years ago on 7 February by jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda.

On the 15th anniversary of the murder of Fr Andrea Santoro.

Fiona Bruce MP, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, has received a petition from a Catholic charity calling for asylum to be granted to a 14-year-old Christian girl in Pakistan whose life is in danger.

“It is time to return to God.” Hundreds of Cuban Catholics, priests and lay alike, see their country in a state of profound crisis and are hoping for a national dialogue that will lead to political changes.

A series of kidnappings and acts of violence against priests and religious in Nigeria are of particular concern to Catholics in the country.

Egypt is home to the largest Christian community in the Arab world - the Coptic Church. Reaching back to the very beginnings of Christianity and to the Apostle Mark, there are today about 8 million Copts in Egypt. But in a politically deeply divided count...

“The situation in northern Ethiopia is alarming. Communication is very precarious and for almost three weeks the region has been totally isolated from the rest of the world. No internet or telephone. But the news we get from those who have been able to vi...

An interview with Gérard Ouambou.

Lebanon is the country that has taken in the highest number of refugees in the world, in proportion to its own population.

By Fr. Ignatius Nyan Htoo

In memory of the first Venezuelan bishop to fall victim of COVID-19.

Following bloody massacres, the Bishop of Beni appeals to the international community through Aid to the Church in Need.

Pope Francis is due to visit Iraq from 5 – 8 March this year.

"Without you, we could do nothing. You are the arms of God’s providence, who loves them through us. You make a material donation, and God gives you the joy of knowing that you are useful, today and in the future. And He will grant you Paradise.” 

Happy New Year! These are words we commonly hear at this time of year. And they were also the first words addressed by Bishop Juan José Aguirre of Bangassou to all at the international Catholic pastoral charity and pontifical foundation Aid to the Church...

Coronavirus, terrorism and war – and once again a growing level of persecution.

A survivor looks back ten years after the attack on Coptic Christians.

A Christian man in Pakistan will at last walk out of prison a free man – after the court acquitted him in a case that spanned more than 11 years with nearly 70 adjournments.

“Your support makes the families stay in the country,” states the Syrian Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo.

Naz Bano has been praying since 2016 for momentum in the movement to seek sainthood for her 20-year-old son, Akash Bashir, who was killed while preventing a suicide bomber from entering the crowded St. John’s Catholic Church.

The death of the Syrian Orthodox Archbishop of Homs.

The executive president of ACN International, Dr Thomas Heine-Geldern, has released the following statement:

Iraq’s Christians have welcomed news that Pope Francis is set to go to Iraq next Spring – the first time any pontiff will have visited the country.

After two years living as a captive in the desert, somewhere between Niger and Mali, the Italian missionary Father Pierluigi Maccalli , who was received by the Pope on 9 November 2020, recalled his first impressions in an interview conducted by the SMA Me...

Not only is the weather harsh and cold north of the Arctic Circle, but the religious climate is also anything but pleasant at times for the handful of Catholics living in the Norwegian city of Harstad on the island of Hinnøya. Aid to the Church in Need (A...

A day to stand up for persecuted Christians!

Bishops condemn corruption and the unjust treatment of Catholics.

Many communities all over the world are suffering such debilitating poverty that the faithful are not able to support their priests financially.

This new report highlights innocent Christians held against their will.

ACN will be donating 25,000 anoraks for Syrian children this Christmas.

The Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) interviewed Rev. Fr. Blaise Agwon, director of the Centre for Dialogue, Reconciliation and Peace in Jos, the capital of Plateau State in the central belt region of central Nigeria.

ACN is helping to rebuild the sisters’ convent on the ninth floor of the hospital building.

"The Armenian people have always come back again from the midst of indescribable calamities."

An Interview with Jesuit Antoine Audo, the Chaldean Bishop of Aleppo in Syria.

Maria Lozano, head of press and information at the charity’s international headquarters, spoke to Father Raymond Abdo, the provincial of the discalced Carmelite Fathers in Lebanon, to find out more about the life of the Christians in this country.

ACN supports the reconstruction of the Church of Saint Saviour in Beirut.

New massacres by jihadists – the number of refugees is growing daily.

"I am here as a witness of the torment of a people, my people, who are asking only for the right to live in dignity." - The Archbishop of Kinshasa.

“We hope that justice will prevail at the next court hearings."

With major Hindu nationalist networks announcing plans to launch a campaign against religious conversions—especially in the tribal areas of India—Catholic Church leaders say such a campaign has been going on for a long time and that the move is aimed at d...

Statement by Thomas Heine-Geldern, Executive President of the foundation: 

The coronavirus pandemic has left Bethlehem’s tourism-reliant economy in tatters, according to a shop owner, who has appealed to pilgrims, saying he longs for the day when they can safely return.

Desolation and discouragement are spreading in Syria, so we must therefore sow hope for the people.

In Pakistan, Shafique Masih has been living in hiding for nearly two decades despite his acquittal in a blasphemy case in 2001.

ACN teams up with parents in fight to release Arzoo.

The irrationality and hatred we are witnessing is an attack on a fundamental human right to religious liberty!

Responding to the appeal by Pope Francis, inviting all children to join in this initiative, young people from no fewer than 136 different countries and on every continent took part in the most recent annual event of “A million children praying the Rosary....

ACN has received the sad news of the murder of the Venezuelan priest José Manuel de Jesús Ferreira, parish priest of the Eucharistic Shrine of San Juan Bautista in the diocese of San Carlos de Cojedes and project partner of ACN.

The International Pontifical Foundation ACN condemns the violent attacks on churches in Santiago de Chile yesterday, 18 October. Two churches were attacked by protesters at a time when several hours of peaceful demonstrations were taking place to celebrat...

Two brave children, Trey and Erin, ages 13 and 11, and their parents recently organised a fundraiser for the victims in Beruit and donated the money to Aid to the Church in Need's National Emergency Appeal for Lebanon.

The charity announces new aid initiatives, ten weeks on from the catastrophic explosion in the city.

In spite of the difficulties, Father Luai and Father Hanna have stayed on there because they believe that this region should not be abandoned.

Mgr. Najeeb Michaeel, Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul, has been listed as one of the three finalists to obtain the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament. The decision will be announced on 22 October.

During the Angelus in St Peter's Square on Sunday 11 October 2020, Pope Francis publicly announced and encouraged people to participate in Aid to the Church in Need's prayer campaign 'One Million Children Praying the Rosary.'

The head of a Catholic human rights’ organisation in Pakistan has hit out at the country’s justice system for taking so long to free the man wrongly accused of sparking one of the worst outbreaks of anti-Christian violence.

The Italian SMA missionary Father Pier Luigi Maccalli has finally been set free, on Tuesday 6 October 2020, more than two years after he was originally abducted in the diocese of Niamey in Niger, on 17 February 2018.

"The people in Lebanon are people who need love, they need to be cared for."

In an October 1 message marking the 60th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence from British rule, Bishop Matthew Kukah of Sokoto was harshly critical of the country’s President Mohammadu Buhari, faulting him for failing to rein in ongoing violence, much o...

John Paul II told us that Lebanon is a message: "We Christians here have an important role to play in this country, and the day we forget this message, Lebanon will no longer be Lebanon.”

One man's conversion to Christianity

A documentary film supported by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about a missionary living with the Dassanech people on Ethiopia’s Omo River, who works to overcome generations of inter-tribal violence through evangelisation and reconciliation, was selected...

Pakastani girl's struggle for freedom

“When one million children pray the rosary, the world will change” - St Padre Pio

Looking back at almost 30 years of service for the Church in Africa:

Interview with Reinhard Backes, head of projects for the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need, after his visit to Lebanon from 7-16 September 2020.

We ask for the sake of humanity for the whole world to put their hands together and help the people in Lebanon.

The Bishop of Kaduna declares that 'dark clouds of violence have enveloped our land'

Our brothers and sisters in Cuba are struggling with poverty after the hurricane that hit in 2019

Interview with Fr. Léandre Mbaydeyo

These people are asking for the least of their rights – they are asking for food!

ACN is preparing a second wave of help for Beirut amid growing fears that last month’s explosion could spark an exodus of Christians from Lebanon.

Archbishop Kondrusievicz has since been refused re-entry into Belarus and unknown persons have changed the locks of a Catholic church in Minsk.  

Sisters missing in Mozambique!

Amjad Arif tells ACN about his sufferings after being unjustly arrested in 2015.

Interview with Ján Figel’, the former EU Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU:

Maronite Father Charbel Eid, from Lebanon, talks about the situation in his native country. 

Children receiving the Sacrament of First Holy Communion talk with ACN International about their faith in Jesus.

Maira fled Nakash’s home

Today all our people are struggling to obtain their daily bread

Holy Father, Pope Francis calls the Bishop of Pemba:

The outcome of the August 9th election triggered serious riots

The 22nd of August has been dedicated as the 'International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief' which recognizes the importance of giving victims of acts of violence towards religion or belief and their families...

International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief must lead to concrete action says Dr Thomas Heine-Geldern, international executive president of Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

“The blast shook us’’, said Sister Rita Khoury from the Daughters of Charity.

Religions for Peace issued an appeal signed by Religious Leaders of Myanmar in connection with the elections scheduled for November. The document is entitled “Seize the opportunity!” and was published in July 13, 2020.

The charity is funding food parcels for survivors of the explosion in Beirut 

Systematic violence against Nigerian Christians by Fulani herdsmen constitutes genocide according to a leading Catholic bishop who stressed that Muslims are also falling foul of the violence. 

Food, clothes and medicine in urgent demand in Beirut!

Sister Shobka Rani Talari smiles when she gets on her new moped.

August will mark the anniversaries of nine other countries, namely Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Gabon and Senegal.

The most recent attack on a Christian in Pakistan has further increased the suffering and fear among Christians throughout the country.

ACN International has condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist-style arson attack against the Catholic cathedral in Managua, the Nicaraguan capital.

The Fazendas – the “Farms of Hope” - seek to give an answer to this suffering.

Six years after IS-invasion a Church's reconstruction fuels Christian's hope.

Witnesses compare explosion to an “atomic bomb.”  

Campaign to free 14-year-old Christian girl in Pakistan.

Mozambique:  “The international community is nowhere to be seen in regard to the problem” in Cabo Delgado, says European deputy Paulo Rangel.

John Paul II made history during his lifetime and became one of the giants of the 20th century – both in the history of the Church and of the wider world. 

by Jacques Berset. The news came through on 14 March 2020 – the first known case of infection with Covid-19 had been detected in Brazzaville. In response the Congolese government had imposed a general lockdown on the entire population.

by Paulo Aido (edited by Maria Lozano). March 15 will mark the ninth anniversary of the start of the conflict in Syria. "The situation is terrible," said Sister Maria Lúcia Ferreira, a sister from the Mar Yakub Monastery in Qara, in the Christian region o...

by Grace Attu. Today we the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria and with significant support of priests, consecrated persons and our beloved lay faithful embark on a peaceful protest against the high level of insecurity in every part of Nigeria.

Nigeria is a unique country. Its inhabitants are distributed almost equally between Christians and Muslims. It comprises about one fifth of the African population, so a crisis that is not seriously dealt with in Nigeria would end up affecting the rest of...

by Thomas Oswald. Anne-Isabelle Tollet was the first foreign journalist to alert the international community about the Asia Bibi affair. After discovering, through the Pakistani woman, the iniquity and excesses of Pakistan’s “anti-blasphemy legislation...

“We Christians are persecuted, while the west remains indifferent – even selling arms to the terrorists instead of stopping them”