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.

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Central African Republic: “A shepherd defends his sheep from dangers”

On 23 February 2024, Pope Francis appointed Father Aurelio Gazzera, a long-time friend and partner of ACN, Coadjutor Bishop of the diocese of Bangassou, in the Central African Republic. The 61-year-old Italian Carmelite priest has already worked for 33 years as a missionary in the country, which is repeatedly plagued by violence and unrest.

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Bishop praises Supreme Court’s commitment to justice for Jaranwala victims

The President of Pakistan’s Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Samson Shukardin, has welcomed a Supreme Court decision to reject a government report into the authorities’ response to the attacks in Jaranwala last August described by Church leaders as the “worst incident against Christians” in the nation’s history.

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Argentinian Patagonia: Mission country

The Church in Patagonia faces unique challenges, marked by vast distances, remarkable diversity and lack of resources. One of the bishops overseeing the Church's development in this vast territory of Argentina is Mgr Roberto Álvarez, who sat down with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) to share his dreams and difficulties.

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Thirty Christians have died in the Gaza Strip as the humanitarian situation worsens.

According to sources contacted by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the humanitarian situation and living conditions for the small Christian community which remains in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated over the past months. In the four months since the beginning of the conflict, thirty Christians have died in Gaza.

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Sahel: ACN comes to the aid of Christians displaced by terror

The international charity Aid to the Church in Need has stepped up the provision of aid to the Sahel region following a deterioration of the security situation there over many years. Despite persecution, the number of Christians in the region is increasing.

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Venezuela marks 140 years of the first Lourdes pilgrimage in the Americas

The pilgrimage was instituted in 1884 by Fr Machado, the Venezuelan priest in the Diocese of La Guaira, after returning from a trip to the famous shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes in France. Tony Pereira, a lay member of the current organising committee, spoke to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about the origins and the importance of this devotion.

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Syria: “The situation is intolerable”

On the first anniversary of the earthquake, a bishop in Aleppo calls for an end to sanctions and appeals to people not to forget the country.

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