Home » News » Aid to the Church in Need to receive the 2019 Path to Peace Award

Aid to the Church in Need to receive the 2019 Path to Peace Award

NEW YORK/KÖNIGSTEIN — Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and president of the Path to Peace Foundation, has announced that Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) will be the 2019 recipient of the Path to Peace Award.

The Holy See Mission said it has chosen to honor the international papal charity in recognition of its humanitarian and pastoral support of persecuted Christians.

The Path to Peace Foundation supports various aspects of the work of the Holy See Mission to the UN. The Foundation also funds humanitarian projects in developing countries.

Dr. Thomas Heine-Geldern, executive president of ACN International will be accepting the Award at the annual Path to Peace Gala Dinner May 22, 2019 in New York.

„To receive this outstanding Award is a great honor for Aid to the Church in Need“, said Dr. Thomas Heine-Geldern. He added: “It is an eminent recognition of the worldwide bridge of love built by the generosity of our benefactors and the suffering and persecuted Church.”

ACN Headquarters in Königstein, Germany.
ACN Headquarters in Königstein, Germany.

Previous recipients of the Path to Peace Award include: Cardinal Mario Zenari, papal nuncio to Syria; Supreme Knight Carl Anderson of the Knights of Columbus; and Queen Sofia of Spain.

Founded in 1947 by a young Dutch Norbertine Priest, Father Werenfried van Straaten (1903 -2003), to help meet the needs of refugees and displaced people in post-World War II Germany, ACN supports more than 5,000 projects each year in more than 140 countries.

Projects include the construction of churches and chapels; support for the training of seminarians, men and women religious as well as lay catechists; emergency aid; and transportation for clergy and religious.

Last year, ACN donors gave more than €100M in aid. Since 2011, ACN has provided more than €70M to support Syrian and Iraqi Christians threatened by ISIS and other Islamist groups, ensuring the survival of Christianity in the region.

The Path to Peace Gala Dinner will be held from 6PM-10PM on May 22, 2019 at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan, 61st Street and Fifth Ave.

Don't miss the latest updates!

Bishop Silvano Pedroso: A humble shepherd who was close to the people

ACN mourns the death of Cuba’s first bishop of African…

From forgiveness to uncertainty: the story of a priest in southern Lebanon

Fr Youssef Semaan watches on as the conflict in Lebanon…

Statement By The President Of Aid to The Church In Need (ACN)

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has received with…

Pope and African bishops decry murder of Mozambican prelate

Bishop Osório Citora Afonso was a friend and collaborator of…

MOZAMBIQUE: Bishop of Quelimane shot dead at residence

The Bishop Osório Cítora Afonso, of Quelimane, Mozambique, was shot…

Nigeria: one year after Yelewata massacre, Church continues to demand justice for the victims

During a memorial mass held on the first anniversary of the tragedy, Bishop Anagbe remembered the victims and renewed his call for the displaced to be able to return to...

Bishop Silvano Pedroso: A humble shepherd who was close to the people

ACN mourns the death of Cuba’s first bishop of African descent. Pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) expresses its deepest regret over the death of Bishop Silvano...

Nigeria: Terrorists burned Adama Dutse to the ground. Faith, persistence and help from ACN rebuilt it

The reconstruction of a remote village in Nigeria is a sign that hope can triumph over despair, and violence will not have the final word. On 27 May 2026, the...