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Pope Leo XIV to pray Rosary for peace with hundreds of children at the Vatican
On 1 October, between 700 and 1,000 children from schools and parishes in Rome will join the Holy Father in the Vatican Gardens, marking the beginning of the “One Million Children Praying the Rosary” initiative promoted by Aid to the Church in Need. Pope Leo XIV will join hundreds of children in praying the Rosary […]
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La Guaira: “We do not remember them for the tragedy, but for the light they left behind”
Three months after the devastating earthquake that struck Venezuela, young…
Pope Leo XIV takes up ACN’s worldwide call to pray the Rosary for peace
Holy Father extends to the whole Church an appeal that…
New report paints worrying picture of minority rights in Pakistan
Christians and members of other minorities in Pakistan continue to…
Algeria. “The call for a female presence in Tamanrasset remains very much alive,” says bishop
Bishop Diego Sarrió Cucarella hopes the Pope’s recent visit to…
“You are not going to spend money on tuition if you’re not sure you can feed your family”
As wars continue to affect the region, ACN is helping…
Pope Leo XIV to pray Rosary for peace with hundreds of children at the Vatican
On 1 October, between 700 and 1,000 children from schools…
Church demands investigation as another priest murdered in Mexico
Fr Román was found dead, by the side of the…
Gaza Catholic school reopens for 1,000 pupils after nearly three years of war
The parish priest of Gaza has said that the re-opening…
Cardinal Koch calls on ACN to bear witness to the truth and beauty of the Gospel
In a meeting with ecclesiastical assistants from national offices of…
List of News
La Guaira: “We do not remember them for the tragedy, but for the light they left behind”
Three months after the devastating earthquake that struck Venezuela, young people from the Diocese of La Guaira gathered to pray, sing, and remember those who were part of their groups,...
Pope Leo XIV takes up ACN’s worldwide call to pray the Rosary for peace
Holy Father extends to the whole Church an appeal that ACN has promoted worldwide for more than 20 years. Königstein, 27 September 2026 – Pope Leo XIV has called on...
New report paints worrying picture of minority rights in Pakistan
Christians and members of other minorities in Pakistan continue to suffer from systemic discrimination. Blasphemy and violence against women and girls are a particular concern. A new report published by...
Algeria. “The call for a female presence in Tamanrasset remains very much alive,” says bishop
Bishop Diego Sarrió Cucarella hopes the Pope’s recent visit to Algeria may adress administrative obstacles preventing more religious from moving to the country. There is something about the desert that...
“You are not going to spend money on tuition if you’re not sure you can feed your family”
As wars continue to affect the region, ACN is helping to support Christian education all across the Middle East. Keeping schools running is key to preserving Christian communities. September marks...
Pope Leo XIV to pray Rosary for peace with hundreds of children at the Vatican
On 1 October, between 700 and 1,000 children from schools and parishes in Rome will join the Holy Father in the Vatican Gardens, marking the beginning of the “One Million...
Church demands investigation as another priest murdered in Mexico
Fr Román was found dead, by the side of the road, with bullet wounds. The region of Huejutla is riddled with criminal organizations involved in all manners of trafficking, including...
Gaza Catholic school reopens for 1,000 pupils after nearly three years of war
The parish priest of Gaza has said that the re-opening of a Catholic school in the devastated territory offers “a sign of hope” for people who have very little to...
“I cried tears of despair”, says priest who spent over two years in hands of jihadists
Fr Luigi Maccalli learned in captivity to forgive and pray for his enemies, following the example of Jesus. In an interview with ACN, he shared his experience. Fr Pier Luigi...
Cardinal Koch calls on ACN to bear witness to the truth and beauty of the Gospel
In a meeting with ecclesiastical assistants from national offices of ACN, Cardinal Kurt Koch highlighted the “ecumenism of the martyrs” which is helping heal wounds between different Christian confessions. The...
Bamenda, Cameroon: A catechism to teach peace after ten years of violence
Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya, of Bamenda, is preparing a catechism consisting of one hundred questions and answers inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s message of peace. With the support of Aid...
Colombia: “Jesus himself has gone out into the streets to meet the people”
One month after the earthquake that struck Colombia on 10 August, its material and emotional consequences are still deeply felt. Amid the destruction, priests, religious sisters and other pastoral agents...
From Rome to the world: children unite in a week of prayer for peace
From 1 to 7 October, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is inviting children, families, schools and parishes around the world to take part in “One Million Children Praying...
Church in Mauritania: A spirit of friendship in the desert
The Catholic Church in Mauritania is in a unique position: there are no Mauritanian Christians, and the entire Catholic community is made up of foreigners and expats. In this context,...
Venezuela: “Nothing will stand in the way of our mission,” says La Guaira bishop
Two months after an earthquake rendered their church unusable, 62 youths from a small mountain community in Venezuela received the sacrament of confirmation in an celebration held outdoors. The...
Christian schools in Jerusalem protest non-renewal of entry permits for teachers
Christian schools in Jerusalem announced the suspension of classes on 1 September 2026, due to the non-renewal of entry permits into the city for dozens of members of their staff....
Bishops urge an end to massacres in Nigeria
ACN continues to accompany the Church in Nigeria in its efforts to counteract the effects of endemic violence, and its appeals for peace in the country. The Catholic bishops of...
Nepal priest: “Our presence among those who are suffering will give them hope”
The Catholic Church in Nepal has mobilised to support the victims of the devastating floods that struck the Himalayan country on 26 August, sweeping away entire villages and leaving thousands...
“Haiti cannot become a vast cemetery”: alarm raised by Mgr Dumas after gang attack leaves at least 47 dead
On the night of 23 to 24 August, more than 47 people were killed by armed gangs in Kenscoff, a Haitian town near Port-au-Prince. Mgr Pierre-André Dumas, Vice-President of the...
Fadi Azar, Franciscan from Syria: “The lack of security has grown enormously”
The Christian community has seen discrimination rise, but remains firm in the faith in the land where Christianity has its roots. The situation in Syria remains unstable almost two years...
Indonesia earthquake: Bishop witnesses “tears of sorrow slowly transform into the dawn of hope”
The Catholic Church is at the forefront of efforts to help victims of the earthquake that struck one of the most densely Christian islands of Indonesia. The Indonesian island of...
“However great evil is, it will never destroy everything”, says Donetsk Bishop
At the age of 46, Maksym Ryabukha, SDB, is a war zone bishop. Half of his exarchate is occupied by the Russian army, making it impossible for him to carry...
Lebanon: 7,465 children and young people find refuge from war in ACN-funded summer camps
In Lebanon today, organising a few days of activities for children and young people has become an obstacle course. Yet, for the local Church, these camps are more necessary than...
Nigeria: “Human life is sacred. There can be no lynching in a civilised society”
Northern Nigeria usually appears in the news because of violence, kidnappings or interreligious conflicts. However, in the midst of that reality there are also many experiences of peaceful coexistence between...
UN Special Rapporteur Nazila Ghanea: “Civil society plays a critical role in defending freedom of religion or belief”
To mark the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, the UN Special Rapporteur has sent a video message to Aid to the...
Bishop denounces rise in criminality in Mozambique, as religious sisters attacked
This is not the first time a religious home has been violently attacked in the African country, which is still dealing with a violent insurgency in the north. The president...
Church in Colombia aids victims of devastating earthquake while assessing damages
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck large parts of western and central Colombia on Monday, 10 August. The epicentre was recorded in the municipality of San José del Palmar, in the department...
Earthquake in Colombia: Church assessing needs for emergency aid
A devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck much of western and central Colombia on Monday. While authorities assess the scale of the emergency, the Catholic Church is already accompanying affected communities...
HAITI: “We are the last retaining wall: moral, ethical, spiritual and prophetic… That is why they want to eliminate us’, says bishop
As the country sinks into an unprecedented crisis, corroded by armed gangs, the Church remains standing, sowing hope in the midst of despair. The legislative and presidential elections due to...
ACN joins Mexican bishops’ call for religious freedom
The Catholic bishops of Mexico have marked the centenary of the “Calles Law”, which imposed restrictions on the life of the Church and placed priestly ministry under state control in...
The return of Iraq’s Christians: a possible model for Nigeria
Catholic leaders advocate for the right of return of internally displaced people. The return of thousands of displaced Christians to their places of origin in Iraq, supported by ACN following...
Medjugorje vandalisation is latest in wave of desecrations
From Spain to the USA, several churches have been vandalised in the past three months. Although the attacks seem unrelated to each other, they show that religious freedom is not...
Iraqi Prime Minister: “Christians are an active component, an essential part of Iraqi society”
The Iraqi government is offering incentives for Christians to return to the country. The Prime Minister’s words will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of Iraqi Catholic bishops in August....
Beatification of Patriarch Hoyek is a sign of hope for Lebanon
On 25 July, in Lebanon, the Maronite Church will celebrate the beatification of Patriarch Elias Hoyek (1843-1931), the father of “Greater Lebanon” and founder of the Maronite Sisters of the...
Venezuela earthquakes. “The Church is more than buildings. We are with the people in the streets”
ACN has already committed to a second aid package which, according to its executive president, will be “much higher than the initial 100 thousand euros” given right after the earthquakes...
Situation in Venezuela “apocalyptic”, but Church is organised and responding
ACN’s aid is currently supporting the religious and laity who are helping the victims on the ground, but future projects are already being studied and could include rebuilding church structures...
Bishops: 12 years on and still no justice for young couple burnt alive in a brick kiln
Bishops say Supreme Court decision is part of cycle of injustice for victims of persecution Bishops in Pakistan have spoken of their dismay after the country’s Supreme Court quashed the...
Venezuela: Seminarians put theology into practice among the rubble
“Seeing people embrace us and seek comfort in us is a sign that the Church’s mission is to be with the people,” says one Venezuelan seminarian. Germán Jiménez, a seminarian...
“Arnona” tax tests the rights of Churches in Jerusalem
Israel's municipal property tax, known as “Arnona”, has become the centre of a new standoff between the Churches and the municipality of Jerusalem. Christian leaders fear that challenging the exemptions...
VENEZUELA: “When night falls, the heart sinks and the tears flow”
Venezuela is in mourning. Pain is everywhere, and the Church is often the only source of hope. “Feelings are very mixed. We are here to accompany, to counsel and to...
Pope calls on young jihad survivors to be “light of the world”
Initially scheduled for March, the festival was postponed due to the conflicts which have affected the Middle East. The Pope has encouraged more than 700 young people who lived through...
ACN supported summer camps benefit over 30 thousand youths worldwide
Camps take place in 11 different countries, with a particular focus on regions marked by war, displacement and instability. Every year pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)...
Religious sisters remain in Venezuela in solidarity with earthquake victims
The Superior General of the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, who was due to return to Rome, speaks movingly about the faith displayed by the people amid the tragedy....
Head of ACN visits Venezuela to show solidarity following earthquake
The executive president of the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), will be travelling to Venezuela, following the tragic earthquakes that killed thousands of people. Regina Lynch...
Central African Republic: Murdered priest was a tireless peacemaker, says local bishop
Crowds lined roads, despite the danger, to bid farewell to Fr Crépin as he was taken to his funeral. Father Crépin Martial Monga, vicar of the Catholic parish of St...
Venezuelan bishop: “Even those who have nothing are giving everything”
In one of the poorest and most densely populated communities in Caracas, the Church has mobilised to care for the wounded who arrive from La Guaira. ACN has approved an...
“The priority now is to rebuild lives,” says Archbishop of Caracas
Archbishop Raúl Biord of Caracas, Venezuela, says that the Church is accompanying the victims of the earthquakes while rescue efforts continue. As search and rescue efforts continue, following the devastating...
Venezuela: ACN allocates 100,000 euros to support Church response to earthquakes
Priests celebrate Mass in the street as churches become shelters following deadly earthquakes As rescue teams continue to search for survivors under the rubble following the devastating earthquakes that struck...
ACN funded 5,368 projects in 141 countries during 2025
The Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) received €145.8 million in donations and legacies and supported one in every ten priests and one in every eight seminarians...
Indian Church calls for National Day of Prayer to protect its charitable work serving the poor
The Church’s vast charitable work in India could be at risk if law makers tighten the already restrictive law on foreign funding of NGOs. Christians all over India are preparing...
Venezuela: ACN calls for prayers for the Venezuelan people after the devastating earthquakes that have damaged churches and sown fear among the population
The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) calls for prayer for the people of Venezuela, after the two strong earthquakes that have shaken the country, causing...
Crisis deepens in DR Congo as new terrorist front opens in the north
Despite the danger, and the looming threat of famine, missionaries on the ground insist they will not abandon their flocks, since they are “living signs of God’s presence”. Hundreds of...
Priest who remained with his people despite growing violence killed in the Nuba Mountains
Fr Youhanna Al-Amin died in Kauda, a region of Sudan marked by tribal tensions and disputes among armed groups. According to local sources, the killing appears to have been an...
Major Archbishop Shevchuk: “The war in Ukraine has caused many conversions”
During a visit to the headquarters of the Spanish national office of ACN, the primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church spoke of the role of priests as “wounded healers”...
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...
FIFA World Cup: 14 of the competing nations are marked by religious persecution or discrimination
As 48 countries prepare to battle for the World Cup, religious freedom remains an elusive goal for one in every three nations competing. The 2026 FIFA World Cup, taking place...
From forgiveness to uncertainty: the story of a priest in southern Lebanon
Fr Youssef Semaan watches on as the conflict in Lebanon empties his village and threatens decades of coexistence between Christians and Muslims. The war in southern Lebanon is damaging more...
Statement By The President Of Aid to The Church In Need (ACN)
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has received with deep concern the urgent appeal issued by His Excellency Archbishop Georges Iskandar, Melkite Greek Catholic Archbishop of Tyre, regarding the...
Nigeria: “At last, killers have been held to account,” says bishop, as Pentecost massacre gunmen found guilty
Bishop Jude Arogundade thanked ACN for its campaign on behalf of survivors, who “will always carry the scars of what happened that day.” The bishop who spearheaded the campaign for...
Pope and African bishops decry murder of Mozambican prelate
Bishop Osório Citora Afonso was a friend and collaborator of ACN, and the foundation has expressed its deep sorrow with his death. Two days after the murder of the bishop...
MOZAMBIQUE: Bishop of Quelimane shot dead at residence
The Bishop Osório Cítora Afonso, of Quelimane, Mozambique, was shot dead in the early hours of this morning, June 6, and his body was found in a corridor of the...
ACN International President Cardinal Kurt Koch: “Today there are more martyrs than in the first centuries of Christianity”
During the annual pilgrimage for persecuted Christians in Einsiedeln, the President of ACN International reflected on contemporary martyrdom, Christian unity and the mission of the charity. Cardinal Kurt Koch, President...
Nigeria: Bishop of Kontagora welcomes arrest of suspects linked to Catholic school kidnapping and calls for justice
"The families will be relieved and happy to hear that those who planned the abduction of their children have been arrested. This is truly good news," says Bishop Bulus Yohanna....
Jihadists are trying to establish a caliphate in northern Mozambique, says bishop
Villagers in Cabo Delgado used to be united despite their religious diversity, but lately religion has become a dividing factor, reports Bishop António Juliasse. The Jihadists who have been waging...
New Chaldean Patriarch tells Iraqi Christians: “Your presence is a mission”
In a message to Paul III Nona, ACN’s executive president recalled the sufferings of the Chaldean faithful in Iraq, who “have been so often called to bear witness to their...
Church has to be about more than feelings, says hurricane-dodging bishop
As secularism grows across the Caribbean and more young people drift away from the Church, Archbishop Gabriel Malzaire of Saint Lucia believes Christians must rediscover a deeper and more resilient...
“Religious persecution in Europe and the Americas has become a trend”
The number of churches attacked or vandalised in Europe and the Americas continues to rise, while Christians often lack the legal instruments to fight back against discrimination and persecution. An...
War brings both hope and despair to Lebanon
Archbishop Hanna Rahme, of Baalbek Deir El-Ahmar, in Lebanon, seeks to keep up evangelisation efforts, welcome refugees, live alongside the Shias and encourage hope in the midst of constant crises...
DRC: When they people hear the church bells, they know there is life in the village
The residents of eastern Bukavu feel abandoned by the international community. But they know that if they flee, the M23, an armed rebel group backed by Rwanda , will take over...
“This is the saddest time for my country.” Head of bishops’ conference asks that Cuba not be forgotten
The Church in Cuba continues to accompany a population marked by fear, deep necessities in all fields of life, and uncertainty. In a conversation with Aid to the Church in...