ACN Ireland | Latest News
The ACN Journal provides the latest news about Aid to the Church in Need and our work protecting the rights of Christians and supporting the suering and persecuted Church.
New chapter of suffering for Christians in Burkina Faso
Terrorists have forced the Christian population of Débé in Burkina Faso to leave their village. Earlier, they shot dead two scouts in the village church who resisted their orders. Bishop Prosper B. Ky reported this incident during a visit to the international headquarters of the Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Cardinal of the Central African Republic: “Even if people have forgotten you – God has not forgotten you!”
Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga tours his war-torn country, where some young people find it difficult to lay down their weapons and find their way back to school. On his travels to the ‘margins’, which are particularly close to the heart of Pope Francis, the cardinal feels the pulse of an abandoned population. During his visit to the headquarters of the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) he spoke about the situation in his country and the need for education of young people.
Christians call for prayers as new fronts of fighting break out in Myanmar
ACN Executive President urges that conflict not be forgotten. Almost three years after the military coup of February 2021, Myanmar rebels have launched a major offensive. Following the recent coordinated offensive, known as Operation 1027, which started in Shan state, fighting has also intensified in various areas including the Sagaing region as well Chin and Kayah States, causing widespread violence and displacement.
The Imam and the Bishop. Setting an example for interreligious harmony in Nigeria
A project supported by ACN has been bearing fruit in southwest Nigeria, where Christian and Muslim leaders work together to promote peace in Osun State. This Catholic-led project is making a difference in a country that is otherwise known for interreligious conflict and persecution of Christians.
Nigeria's Ongoing Crisis: Persistent Kidnappings of Clergy and Religious Figures
In Nigeria, the kidnapping of clergy and religious figures has sadly become a frequent occurrence, often barely making headlines. Despite most victims being eventually released, the situation has evolved into a profitable venture for criminals, instilling a perpetual state of fear among the Catholic community.
53 Christian families’ houses completely destroyed by airstrikes in Gaza
GAZA: “I am heartbroken”, Sister Nabila said about the bombing of her school. The plight and suffering of the Christian community in Gaza intensify every day.
Bishop of Tripoli urges international community to end conflict between Israel and Palestine
One month after the terrible terrorist attacks by Hamas that led to war in Gaza, the Maronite Archbishop of Tripoli, Lebanon, Monsignor Youssef Soueif, calls on the international community to urgently intervene to put an end to the devastating conflict.
Salesian sisters’ house in Sudan bombed as war heads into seventh month
Some residents suffered light injuries, but miraculously, according to the description of a priest who was on-site at the time, nobody was killed by the blast. A bomb struck the house of a mission operated by Salesian religious sisters in Sudan, at 6:50 am on Friday, 3 November, causing serious damage.
Red Wednesday 22nd November 2023: Call to Pray and display Red for Persecuted Christians
This year, the ACN Ireland Week of Witness will be held between Sunday the 19th and Sunday the 26th of November. The Week of Witness is an invitation to Christians across the island of Ireland to stand in solidarity with and bear witness to the heroic example of our persecuted brothers and sisters in Faith across the world.
People in Iraq are afraid the violence will spread beyond Gaza
People in Iraq are terrified that the war in the Holy Land will engulf the region, according to a leading archbishop, who is calling on governments around the world to work to bring peace.
Road to Sainthood: Indian Church rejoices
An Indian archbishop has expressed delight that the Vatican has opened the cause of canonisation of martyrs killed during one of the most violent outbreaks of Christian persecution this century.
Syria: ACN helps Mousa and Tamara find a better future
Like many other Syrians, Mousa and Tamara lost their jobs and most prospects for a better future because of the civil war that tore their country apart. These two members of the Christian community never stopped dreaming that the future could be better, and now, because of a project supported by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), those dreams are finally coming true.
“We are living like the first Christians, sharing and helping everyone”, says Gaza parish priest
ACN spoke to Fr Gabriel Romanelli on Friday, the 24th of October, 2023. According to Fr Gabriel Romanelli, “there are over 1,500 people trapped under the rubble, including 800 children”.
Mauritania: Bishop reports on the work of the small Christian minority
“Only God knows how many Catholics there are in Mauritania”, says Bishop Martin Happe, from the capital Nouakchott, with a smile. Born in Germany, he belongs to the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers). In a conversation with the international pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), he looks back over 50 years of involvement with Africa – first in Mali and then, for the last 28 years, as the only bishop in the west African state of Mauritania, whose 4.5 million inhabitants are almost 100% Muslim: “They are automatically Muslim, just like in my childhood you were automatically Christian in my home country.”
Right now, we have only God: Sister Nabila calls for peace and aid in war-torn Gaza
Gaza City, Königstein (Germany) - Sister Nabila, a religious sister of the Holy Rosary, who has been taking refuge in the Holy Family Parish in Gaza with 700 other Christians, has made a heartfelt plea for peace and urgent humanitarian aid in the midst of the ongoing conflict.
Mexico: “We cannot get accustomed to the violence”
ACN, Mexico City/Königstein- Mexico is considered one of the most violent and dangerous countries in the world. According to a report on criminality in Mexico, by the country’s National Citizen’s Observatory, there were 15,560 victims of intentional homicide in the first half of 2023, 70.2% of whom were killed with firearms, a crime that has increased by 52% under the current Mexican administration.
How is the conflict between Israel and Palestine affecting Christians?
Only a few weeks ago, on 30 September, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was named a cardinal in the consistory in Rome. His flock in Jordan, Israel, Palestine and Cyprus, including the Vicariates for the Migrants and Asylum Seekers as well as the Hebrew Speaking Congregation, rejoiced at the news. In hindsight, the symbolism of the red hat he received on that occasion, and which signifies the blood of the martyrs and his willingness to suffer for the Church, could not have been more apt.
Attack kills at least 16 Christians in Gaza
At least 16 Christians, including 10 from one family, were killed during an attack in Gaza on Thursday evening, 19 October, which provoked the total collapse of a building in the compound of the Greek Orthodox Church. According ACN’s project partners another 15 Christians are trapped under the debris. The Church of Saint Porphyrios building itself was not hit.
Children of the world united in prayer for peace - One million rosaries of hope
October is the month of the rosary, and the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is again inviting parishes, schools and families to take part in the worldwide initiative "One Million Children Praying the Rosary", to be held today the 18th of October 2023. As Saint Padre Pio once said, "When one million children pray the rosary, the world will change."
Aid to the Church in Need joins call to prayer and fasting for peace in the Holy Land
The pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) joins the Catholic bishops of the Holy Land in their call for a day of prayer and fasting for peace, to take place next Tuesday, 17 October.