ACN partners with Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire to shine light on persecuted Christians
413 million Christians live in countries where religious freedom is severely violated
Papal charity Aid to the Church in Need is teaming up with world-renowned Bishop Robert Barron’s evangelisation initiative to raise awareness of the plight of Christians persecuted for their faith.
The series of livestreams, which will begin November 3, will include witness testimonies from around the world. Viewers are being offered a free 30-day trial to watch what promises to be a compelling series of interviews, including one by ACN Ireland’s own Michael Kelly with auxiliary Bishop of Jerusalem William Shomali about the fragile peace in Gaza.
ACN is working with Word on Fire on a series of live discussions focusing on the Middle East and Africa. The ‘Persecuted Church Series’ will feature conversations between ACN staff and Christians suffering for their faith. We will hear personal witness testimonies from clergy and laypeople from Nigeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and the Holy Land.
Michael Kelly said that ACN is “honoured to partner with Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire Institute to shine a light on the reality of Christian persecution in our world today where some 413 million Christians live in countries where religious freedom is severely violated - that’s 18%, or about one in five Christians.
“The aim is to help us all understand the reality of modern-day persecution, and to explore the relationship between martyrdom and evangelisation,” Mr Kelly said.
He continued: “I’m very excited that on Wednesday November 5 at 6pm Irish time I will interview live from Jerusalem Bishop William Shomali, and you can watch it on WOF.
“Of course, I would encourage you to watch as many of the 14 sessions as you can (or all of them!) – but I am particularly looking forward to hearing from Bishop Shomali about the fragile peace in Gaza and the experiences of the Christian community in the wider Holy Land. I do hope you can join us,” Mr Kelly said.
The sessions will be livestreamed via the WOF platform between Monday November 3 and Friday November 7, with two or three discussions each day (14 in total). They will also be recorded and available to watch later for members of Word on Fire. ACN benefactors, friends and supporters can avail of the free trial by clicking here.