The Apostolic Vicariate of Mitú in Colombia covers 54,000 square kilometres, making it larger than Belgium, the Netherlands, or Switzerland. The pastoral work carried out is mostly missionary in nature. Mitú is also where a lone ACN benefactor tries to live out his faith as an example of the community that helps sustain the Church.

04/06/2024 Author: Maria Lozano

We bring you the testimony of Sister Joséphine Toyi from Burundi. Born into a context of political crisis, with the help of ACN, she was able to study and became one of the first Burundian religious to obtain a Doctorate in Theology.

04/06/2024 Author: Maria Lozano

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has received urgent and distressing reports from its local partners in Wabag Diocese, Papua New Guinea, concerning the landslide that occurred in the early hours of Friday, 24 May 2024. This tragic event has had a devastating impact on some communities of the diocese.

29/05/2024

Mexicans go to the polls on 2 June, in a context of unchecked violence, including a total of 45 attacks against politicians during the current electoral process, with 30 candidates murdered. In the midst of this war-like situation, the Catholic Church sees itself accosted by both government agents and criminal gangs as it tries to mediate peace processes and protect its faithful.

The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need is in close contact with its local partners in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, the areas worst affected by the floods, and is committed to helping with recovery efforts.

A Christian was brutally beaten after a false accusation of burning pages of the Quran. A mob of fanatics destroyed their house and business. The victim is in hospital, in critical condition.

Despite the devastating humanitarian crisis, Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the Holy Family parish in Gaza, has made the courageous decision to return to Gaza and stand by his community. Regardless of the dangers and challenges that lie ahead, Father Gabriel is determined to provide spiritual, moral, and material assistance to those in need, whatever their religious affiliation.

The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) urges its friends and benefactors to join in prayer for the Church and Christians in China on 24 May.

The Vatican is preparing to hold the first World Children’s Day, 25-26 May. Pope Francis, in his message for this occasion, emphasizes the preciousness of every child in God’s eyes. In 1979, ACN marked the “International Year of the Child” by producing the Child’s Bible to assist the Church’s pastoral outreach. Since then, millions of children have learned to pray in their own language by reading the Child’s Bible, in one of the almost 200 languages it is translated into. Testimonies from all over the world attest to this.

Cabo Delgado was ravaged by two major militant offensives. Armed groups, allegedly linked to ISIS, targeted the town of Macomia and the villages of Cajerene and Missufine, exacerbating the region's displacement crisis. As the violence escalates, the Church intensifies its humanitarian response in northern Mozambique.

A jihadist captive turned 21 today (14th May), six years after being abducted from her school in Nigeria and held hostage for refusing to renounce her Christian faith.

An Irish missionary tells ACN about the love that the Peruvian people have for Our Lady and how Protestant sects take advantage of the shortage of priests in the country to aggressively convince Catholics to leave the Church.

Hundreds of children have been kidnapped from schools across Nigeria over the past years, but fortunately, the latest attack on a catholic school was foiled, and nobody was killed or abducted.

A groundbreaking formation for catechists is set to begin on the island of Mindanao in the spirit of the Silsilah movement, which marks its 40th anniversary this year. The island has been plagued by interreligious violence and tension for decades, spearheaded by Islamist militant groups.

A young priest describes the challenges and joys of bringing the sacraments to the most isolated communities in the Colombian Amazon.

Thanks to the reconstruction of their homes with the help of ACN, fifteen Catholic families are able to return to the Christian quarter of a suburb of Damascus. This will secure the Christian presence in the place where, according to one tradition, the Apostle Paul was converted.

A brave Catholic seminarian who spent his pastoral placement ministering in India’s remote, cobra-infested jungle will be ordained a priest next week.

Human rights violations are widespread in Burundi, a small country which borders the much larger Democratic Republic of the Congo. For years, the country has been largely isolated from the outside world. Recently, the Burundian bishops drew attention to the country’s plight, which is hardly noticed by the global public.

As the world celebrates the 30th anniversary of World Sun Day on 3 May and to underscore the importance of renewable energy resources, Aid to the Church in Need is highlighting how solar panels are making a big difference in the lives of parishes, religious orders and institutions in countries where electricity costs have risen dramatically.