Projects

At 30.2%, Africa was once again the priority region for our aid projects in 2024. The situation is particularly dramatic in places where Islamist terror is spreading and Christians are victims of persecution and displacement, such as in Mozambique, Burkina Faso and Nigeria. At the same time, the number of faithful and vocations to the priesthood and religious orders continues to rise.

18.7% of our aid was devoted to Asia (including 0.9% for Oceania), where Christians form a minority in most countries and are discriminated against or even persecuted. For example, we increased the level of our aid to Pakistan.

The funding volume for the Middle East represented 17.5% of our total aid. The focal points in 2024 continued to be Syria and Lebanon. By providing emergency aid and strengthening pastoral care, our aim is to help ensure the survival of Christian communities and counteract the massive exodus of Christians.

Latin America accounted for 16.8% of our total aid, as rural exodus, migration, sects and governments hostile to the Church are major challenges here.

In 2024, we continued to receive a large number of requests for support from Ukraine, where the Church, in the midst of war, is trying to alleviate the spiritual, psychological and material needs of those who have fled and are in need. Therefore, in 2024, 8.9% ofour funds went to Ukraine. Our aid for Europe totalled 15.9%.

The starting point for our aid is a close dialogue with local churches.

Africa Overview

The African continent has been a priority region for ACN for many years and continued to be so in 2024. One of the biggest and persistent trouble spots is the Sahel region, where jihadist terrorist groups have further intensified their activities. Countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, where millions of people are already displaced by terrorist violence, have been particularly hard hit. For this reason, our foundation continues to provide aid to this region.

The spiral of violence in Africa seems to have no end. In 2024, it was once again the continent with the highest number of murdered priests and church workers worldwide. Furthermore, priests and religious figures in several African countries have again fallen victim to kidnappings
in recent times. This is a perfidious means of exerting pressure that terrorists and other criminals often use to advance their demands. Nigeria alone recorded more than 11 abducted priests during the reporting year.

In Africa, priests are in great danger of becoming victims of murder or kidnapping.

Despite all the dangers and crises, Africa remains a continent of hope for the Catholic Church. This is because the number of believers is growing. Almost one in five Catholics in the world now lives in Africa. The high number of religious vocations also offers hope: more than one in eight priests, almost one in seven religious sisters and almost a third of all seminarians worldwide live on the African continent. All of this is encouraging for the future. After all, the Church remains a steadfast source of support, standing by the people in times of hunger, violence and political instability, and offering aid and comfort where governments fall short.

ACN has established a comprehensive framework for its aid in Africa. Our main focus is on promoting the training and further education of priests, religious and lay people. In view of the increasing violence, we are also helping to further develop the skills of priests and religious to care for severely traumatised people. In addition, we provide financial assistance for the purchase of off-road vehicles and support the construction and reconstruction of churches, chapels and church facilities.

Latin America Overview

With nearly 400 million believers, Latin America is the continent with the highest number of Catholics in the world. But the Church is facing growing challenges. These include extreme poverty in rural areas, migration flows to urban centres and authoritarian regimes that oppress the Church and hinder its work. An increasingly aggressive secularism and the massive spread of sects are also worrying developments. With a total volume of 16 Million euros, ACN was once again able to provide urgently needed aid for the local Churches here in 2024.

The situation is especially dire for the Church in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, where state interference poses significant challenges. In
Mexico, Haiti, Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil, on the other hand, criminal gangs and drug cartels are terrorising the population.

Despite numerous challenges, Latin America is still considered the most Catholic continent.

The Church also faces a Herculean task due to the high level of migration. The influx of migrants and the exodus of the rural population to urban centres are leading to rapid growth in the cities. The increasing number of faithful in metropolitan areas has significantly heightened the demand for pastoral care. Another challenge in some countries is the vast size of dioceses, which complicates evangelisation efforts. And in areas where the Church cannot be present due to a shortage of priests, aggressive evangelical groups and sects are rapidly expanding.
Therefore, promoting the training of priests, religious and catechists and strengthening the vocational ministry are among our most important tasks in Latin America.

ACN also supports Catholic television and radio stations on the continent, as well as the distribution of religious books. The aim is to reach as many people as possible, in order to counteract the anti-Church tendencies found in society to the greatest extent possible.

Middle East Overview

Due to the ongoing dramatic developments in the Middle East, aid in the region remains a priority for ACN. A key objective is to offer hope to the Christians living here and to support them in their efforts to remain in their homeland. Even before the situation in the Holy Land escalated, many Christians had already lost hope for a future in their own countries. However, since the brutal Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, and the ensuing fighting in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and devastating humanitarian consequences, the situation in the region has significantly deteriorated.

The pressure to migrate among Christians in the Middle East continued to grow during the reporting year. This undoubtedly undermines the unique, millenniaold Christian presence, with its rich diversity of forms and traditions throughout the region. Our focal countries in the Middle East continued to be Syria and Lebanon. We also supported suffering Christians in the Holy Land – particularly in the Gaza Strip – with extensive emergency aid.

What the Christians here need is a future perspective that encourages them to stay.

ACN strives to assist Christians of all. denominations and rites as much as possible in addressing their pastoral and humanitarian needs. To achieve this, Christian communities in the region must be strengthened to offer the faithful a hopeful future, encouraging them to stay and fostering greater unity among them. If we move closer to this goal, the potential for reconciliation and peace across the region will grow, as Christians are viewed by many as mediators between the various ethnic and religious groups.

Europe Overview

In 2024, our aid to the Church in Europe once again primarily focused on addressing the impacts of the war in Ukraine. In the third year of the war, our organisation continued to provide a high level of support to the local Church, so that priests and religious could continue to stand by the people who are suffering severely from the war and are increasingly sinking into hopelessness. During the reporting year, we helped the Church in Ukraine with 8.4 million euros. But the Church in other countries of Eastern, Central and Northern Europe is also still dependent on help.

It is foreseeable that the Church in Ukraine will continue to need significant amounts of aid in the coming years – not only for reconstruction efforts, but also and above all for the spiritual healing of the people. Our local partners stress the importance of supporting those in need, helping them to overcome their inner exhaustion and resist despair. For this reason, ACN maintains close contact with the representatives of the local Church and will continue to support them in the future in assisting traumatised people and refugees by responding to their emotional and material needs

The war in Ukraine has significantly increased the need for aid.

However, even before the war in Ukraine, local Churches in some European countries needed additional support. Our aid is deeply appreciated by religious communities and parishes, especially in those places where the Catholic Church is a minority. By way of an example, the sharp rise in energy costs, in particular, is making it increasingly challenging for them to remain financially stable.

Whether in Ukraine, the Baltic states, Northern Europe, Albania or Bosnia and Herzegovina – during the reporting year, we were once again able to help religious in many countries with subsistence aid and priests with Mass stipends. Additional funds were also allocated for essential renovations to church buildings. And in places where priests and religious sisters have large areas to look after, we were able to assist them with the purchase of vehicles.

Asia/Oceania Overview

The Church in Asia and Oceania faces a wide range of challenges that vary significantly from region to region. Poverty, natural disasters, rural exodus and migration are making life difficult for the population and also for the Church in many places. In most Asian countries, Christians are in the minority. Faith-based discrimination and attacks have risen sharply in recent years. During the reporting year, Pope Francis’ visit to Asia and Papua New Guinea was undoubtedly a strong gesture of confidence for the region. The local Churches also receive hope through the reliable aid provided by ACN. In 2024, we supported the Church in Asia/Oceania with a total of 17 million euros.

In many Asian countries, Christianity is seen as a harmful influence from abroad. The Church is often accused of threatening the dominance of the leading party or the supposed religious unity of the nation. Nationalist movements and authoritarian governments frequently respond with discrimination and social marginalisation.

The Pope’s visit was a blessing and a source of hope.

Sister Cristina Macrino, project partner from East Timor

From 2 to 13 September 2024, Pope Francis embarked on his 45th apostolic journey, visiting Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. The Holy Father’s primary goal was to inspire the local Churches to confront the growing challenges with determination. The Pope’s trip to Asia and Oceania was a highly visible signal of confidence for Christians in the region. The Pope also spoke with representatives from other religious groups and ordinary citizens to promote interreligious dialogue and advocate for peace, justice and the integrity of creation.

During the reporting year, ACN supported the local Churches in Asia, particularly for the training of priests, religious and lay people, and promoted pastoral care for families and young people. The latter remains a top priority for the Church, as the disintegration of families, along with the uprooting and disorientation of young people, is a global issue that also affects Asia and Oceania. However, ACN also supported the construction and renovation of church buildings, the provision of catechetical materials and the purchase of vehicles for pastoral care. Additionally, our foundation supported initiatives promoting interreligious dialogue, enabling the Catholic Church to contribute to peaceful coexistence in countries with Muslim or other faith majorities.