Local community leaders say that the attacks follow the tactics employed by armed bandits who carried out the Christmas massacres in Nigeria. Religion is a factor in a conflict that also has ethnic and economic roots.

Six bishops from the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have written an “assessment of the pastoral and social situation” of the country following a meeting which took place in Butembo, from 8-14 April, and which paints a desolating picture of the state of the country, criticising the way “the dignity of the Congolese people” is being undermined. The eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri have been under martial law since 2021, due to regular attacks by armed militias, which have even resulted in the surrounding of the city of Goma since the end of February.

A bishop from Equatorial Guinea reflects on the causes and consequences of migration in the African continent and asks for a more effective focus on the fight against poverty and illegal emigration.

In December, Maxime François-Marsal, the coordinator of ACN’s projects in French-speaking countries in Central Africa, travelled to Congo-Brazzaville, also known as the Republic of the Congo. This nation borders Angola, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among others. In this interview, he speaks about the situation of the Congolese Church and how Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has contributed to its development.

For a year, the “war of the generals” has been raging across an already weakened country. The population is in agony, and the small Christian community is shrinking away.

A bishop in Pakistan has expressed his disappointment with the authorities for failing to bring to justice those behind one of the country’s worst attacks against Christians – and for not doing enough to help victims.

Aid to the Church in Need is helping the local Church serve new and growing communities of people who are moving from rural to urban areas, often in poor conditions.

Six months after the terrible attacks by Hamas and the beginning of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, Abbot Nikodemus pleas for the conflict to be seen from a humanitarian perspective, transcending religious and political boundaries.

A seminary operated by the Spiritan missionaries in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, was attacked by armed gangsters. The religious and staff had to hide for six hours while the premises were looted before managing to escape to safety.

In the suffering of what Pope Francis has repeatedly called the “martyred people of Ukraine” we can see many traces of Jesus’ Passion and Crucifixion. This Holy Week, ACN invites you to meditate on this modern Way of the Cross.

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church delivered a powerful message of hope during the Mass celebrated for the persecuted Church at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, organized by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) to raise awareness about Ukraine's plight.

Fr Idahosa Amadasu, from the Diocese of Benin, is one of hundreds of Catholic priests who has been kidnapped and held for ransom by armed bandits in Nigeria over the past few decades. For several days, he suffered fear, humiliation, hunger and cold, but he found strength in his faith in Jesus to endure a difficult situation from which he did not know if he would emerge alive. This Holy Week, Aid to the Church in Need wants to share his story of faith. (His account has been edited for clarity and length.)

In a message dated 18 March, the Catholic bishops of Haiti expressed profound concern about the violence that is sweeping the country. The letter, which was sent to international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) and which is signed by all 10 of the country’s Catholic bishops, calls for an end to all violence and for national reconciliation, echoing a recent appeal by Pope Francis.

Archbishop Matthew Man’Oso Ndagoso visited the village of Adama Dutse, which was attacked in February, leaving widespread destruction and 11 dead.

24 February 2024 marked the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Like the whole population, the seminarians are exhausted by this war. But uplifted by hope, they want to be a sign of God's presence where they are.

For years, Syria and Lebanon have witnessed a steady haemorrhaging of their Christian populations. Through its engagement in multiple projects, ACN is actively campaigning against the exodus of Christians.

The ecumenical Christian broadcaster runs several channels, in three different languages, and reaches millions of people with its satellite transmissions.

Between coca plantations, illegal gold mining and a lack of vocations, Bishop Giovanni Cefai of the Prelature of the Santiago Apóstol of Huancané speaks about the difficulties of trying to evangelise in such a challenging atmosphere.

ACN is assisting the Archdiocese of Izmir to maintain the Christian presence in Turkey.