News
South Sudan: The bishop who brought his diocese back to life
When Bishop Stephen Nyodho was appointed for the Diocese of Malakal everything had been destroyed. No buildings, no services, and no flock. With courage and leading by example, he began to rebuild: First trust, and then infrastructure. The city of Malakal, in South Sudan, used to be home to dozens of thousands of people before […]
Don’t miss the latest updates!
Remembering Sudan: A responsibility that we must all bear, not just the governments
A missionary warns that the world has forgotten about Sudan,…
Muslim solidarity is “sign of hope” in Mozambique, says bishop
The statement comes in the wake of a devastating attack…
Islamists reduce historic church to rubble in northern Mozambique
The attack on the parish of St Louis de Montfort…
South Sudan: The bishop who brought his diocese back to life
When Bishop Stephen Nyodho was appointed for the Diocese of…
Statement on desecration of Christian statue in Lebanon
ACN calls on all to pray for the Christian communities…
Equatorial Guinea’s spiritual preparation for historic Papal trip
The local Church hopes that there will be a “before…
The Bishops of Angola hope that the Pope’s visit will boost Angolan youth and heal the wounds of the past
Peace is more than the absence of war, say Angolan…
Algeria: Visit of Pope Leo XIV bolsters mission of small, vibrant Church and dialogue with Islam
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Algeria yesterday, 13 April, for…
Aid worker says people feel “dehumanised” as Lebanon buckles under bombings
Among the priorities is the reopening of schools and paying…
List of News
Remembering Sudan: A responsibility that we must all bear, not just the governments
A missionary warns that the world has forgotten about Sudan, a country currently experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world due to a three-year-long civil war. In an interview...
Muslim solidarity is “sign of hope” in Mozambique, says bishop
The statement comes in the wake of a devastating attack against a landmark Catholic church and compound located in the region of Meza, Cabo Delgado. The Muslim community of Mozambique...
“Do not be afraid, just believe”: First interview with new Chaldean Patriarch Amel Shamon Nona
In 2015, the then Archbishop of Mosul left for Australia after his entire flock was exiled following the rise of the Islamic State. One decade later, he returns to Iraq,...
Islamists reduce historic church to rubble in northern Mozambique
The attack on the parish of St Louis de Montfort did not inflict any casualties on the missionaries but generated widespread panic among the Christian population. A historic church in...
South Sudan: The bishop who brought his diocese back to life
When Bishop Stephen Nyodho was appointed for the Diocese of Malakal everything had been destroyed. No buildings, no services, and no flock. With courage and leading by example, he began...
Ukraine: Nuncio warns of growing fatigue and spiritual needs amid war
Archbishop Kulbokas describes the reality of the front line and the role of priests accompanying soldiers. The Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, has described the situation in the...
Holy Land increasingly emptied of Christians: “We dream of reaching even 5%, but we are far from that”
In an address to representatives of Aid to the Church in Need, Benedictine Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel offered a stark and personal account of the fragile and rapidly shrinking Christian presence...
Statement on desecration of Christian statue in Lebanon
ACN calls on all to pray for the Christian communities in Lebanon, and for all those involved in regional conflicts to uphold and respect religious freedom and respect. Aid to...
Equatorial Guinea’s spiritual preparation for historic Papal trip
The local Church hopes that there will be a “before and an after” this visit, which comes over four decades after the last. The Church in Equatorial Guinea is in...
The Bishops of Angola hope that the Pope’s visit will boost Angolan youth and heal the wounds of the past
Peace is more than the absence of war, say Angolan bishops as Pope Leo visits Pope Leo will visit Angola on 18 April, as part of a trip to Africa...
Algeria: Visit of Pope Leo XIV bolsters mission of small, vibrant Church and dialogue with Islam
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Algeria yesterday, 13 April, for a historic visit that shines a spotlight on the small but vibrant local Church and the role of dialogue between...
Bishop Dassi on the Pope’s Visit: “The Church in Cameroon is vibrant, but the Anglophone conflict remains an open wound”
As Pope Leo XIV prepares to visit Cameroon on 15 and 16 April, pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) interviewed Bishop Emmanuel Dassi, of Bafia Diocese, who...
Aid worker says people feel “dehumanised” as Lebanon buckles under bombings
Among the priorities is the reopening of schools and paying teacher’s salaries, as these play a crucial role in spreading Christian values in the region. People are feeling “scared, angry...
Angola. “We cannot host the ‘Messenger of Peace’ with our hearts full of hate”
As the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to hear the Gospel prepares to receive a visit from Pope Leo XIV, the Church makes a renewed appeal for reconciliation in Angola....
Christian Villages in South Lebanon: Security Alert
Faced with the pending withdrawal of the Lebanese Army from the south of the country, Christians who are attached to their land have expressed their concern with the future. Four...
Middle East: Holy Week begins under the sign of the cross
ACN expresses concern over Palm Sunday restrictions in Jerusalem, Syria and Gaza, and conveys its support for Christians in the Holy Land. The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church...
Paschal hope among the ruins in Gaza
Holy Week has begun against a backdrop of persistent war and shortages in the Catholic compound in Gaza. Despite everything, the community intends to celebrate Easter to the full, sustained...
Nigeria: “Holy Week for us is not history, it is reality. My people are living an exodus”
The bishop of Wukari tells ACN about the suffering of his people and says that the federal government of Nigeria must do more to stop violence. The Diocese of Wukari,...
Jerusalem: Christian schools under threat
On 10 March 2026, the Israeli Ministry of Education announced that no work permits will be issued for the 2026-2027 academic year to Palestinian teachers residing in the occupied West...
Lebanon. “This is not a just war; it is a defeat for us all”
Bishop Jules Boutros, from Lebanon, tells ACN that even though the Israeli attacks are supposedly against Hezbollah, they are affecting all Lebanese. As Israel continues to attack several sites in...
War in the Middle East: ACN increases emergency aid to Lebanon
Faced with the recent escalation of the conflict in Lebanon, pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has significantly increased its aid to the country. Currently the focus...
“We are a Good Friday people”: Mandalay archbishop marks one year after Myanmar earthquake
On the occasion of the first anniversary of the Myanmar earthquake, which struck on March 28 2025, Archbishop Marco Tin Win of Mandalay—one of the most affected areas—has recalled in...
Priest warns of ‘guerrilla warfare’ as dozens killed by suicide bombers
A PRIEST has warned that terrorists are “sneaking” into villages after a suspected suicide attack in north-east Nigeria resulted in multiple deaths. Father Joseph Fidelis, from Maiduguri Diocese, told Catholic...
“The Church is really a rock in Lebanon” as airstrikes intensify
Churches have opened their doors to receive IDPs, but efforts are overstretched operating schools, hospitals, care homes and orphanages. AS another 25 people were killed by airstrikes in Beirut on...
Another war in the Holy Land. “We have never faced anything like this,” say Christians
With yet another blow to regional stability, many Christians in the Holy Land believe it is time to leave. Yet the mission of the Church remains, bringing hope and dignity...
Taybeh: Do Not Let Palestinian Christians Become a Memory of the Past
The last entirely Christian village in the West Bank, Taybeh, east of Ramallah, has been enduring a wave of attacks and intimidation by Israeli settlers. Hostile acts include setting fire...
Pakistan: Demand for justice after Christian man found hanged
The Christian community has refused the official account that Mr Marqas Masih committed suicide, and claim instead that he was murdered. Two men have been arrested. Church leaders are demanding...
“We will stay, despite the war”, says priest in southern Lebanon
Since the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, at the end of February 2026, the southern border of Lebanon has again become a war zone. In this context...
ACN calls for prayers for Fr. Pierre El Raï, who was killed in southern Lebanon
The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) calls for prayers for Fr. Pierre El Raï, a Maronite priest from the Maronite Diocese of Tyre and a project...
Drone strike in Erbil raises fears among Iraq’s Christians
The return of war to the Middle East has reopened old wounds and many Christians are again contemplating leaving the region. A drone strike last Wednesday (4 March) damaged Church-owned...
ACN’s global petition for religious freedom surpasses 20,000 signatures
Billions of people live in countries where religious freedom is not respected, according to the latest edition of the Religious Freedom in the World Report. Aid to the Church in...
“Missiles are flying over our heads” – Tens of thousands displaced as violence escalates in Lebanon
ACN has remained in contact with project partners in the areas affected by airstrikes, assessing the need for emergency assistance. Nearly 30,000 people have been displaced following a wave of...
The Christian presence must not die out
As tensions rise once again across the Middle East, the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) warns that a further escalation of violence could have devastating...
Algeria: The “Son of St Augustine” visits Annaba
The Vatican has officially confirmed that in the coming April, Pope Leo will visit Algeria, making this the first ever visit from a current pope. Leo XIV, who is an...
Mauritania: The challenges of ministering to a community of migrants
The only diocese in Mauritania has just celebrated its sixtieth anniversary. Bishop Victor Ndione, who has led the Diocese of Nouakchott for two years, tells Catholic charity Aid to the...
Ukraine: “You did not only give us food, but a taste of God”
In eastern Ukraine people have grown numb to the danger of air raids but faith is growing. A bishop tells ACN that “without your help we would be like refugees.”...
Catholics returning ‘in their thousands, not hundreds’ say bishops
Thousands of Catholics in north-east Nigeria have returned to church in defiance of their fears following more than 15 years of violent insurgencies. Bishop John Bakeni and Bishop Oliver Doeme,...
Four years of ACN support in war-torn Ukraine
The generosity of countless benefactors has helped to keep the Church in Ukraine alive and ready to continue to help those suffering most from the full scale invasion of 2022....
Ferdinand Habsburg appointed Secretary General of ACN International
Ferdinand Habsburg joins ACN following a successful and international career in the media and education sector. The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need – International (ACN) has announced...
Church calls for tighter security after 10 slaughtered
According to leading Church figures, over 100 people have been killed and 90,000 displaced in the Taraba State region since September 2025. Following a fresh massacre, the Church in Nigeria’s...
Bishops of Venezuela ask country to come together for national reconciliation
The bishops’ have asked for the release of political prisoners, for oil revenues to be applied to help the lower classes, and for the country’s sovereignty to be respected. The...
Cardinal to ACN: “Whoever does not give people God is giving them too little”
During his first visit to the international headquarters since being made president of ACN, Cardinal Koch highlighted the importance of the charity’s defence of religious freedom and its ecumenical dimension....
Catholic Church steps up pressure on Nigerian government over rising violence
Over the past days several Catholic organisations and dioceses have issued calls for the government to deploy more military and police personnel to stem the bloodshed and criminality that holds...
“It is absolutely essential that the war stops,” says Gaza’s parish priest
Although the media attention has died down since the ceasefire, the Gaza Strip continues to sink into an unprecedented humanitarian and health crisis. Speaking to Aid to the Church in...
Pope Leo XIV echoes Cuban bishops’ warning that fuel blockade could cause “chaos and social violence”
“Cuba needs reforms, and these are increasingly urgent, but what it does not need is more anguish and pain. No more loss of life or mourning within Cuban families,” say...