With a formal Pontifical Mass the Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem inaugurated the first Catholic pastoral center for migrant workers in Israel on April 26 in Tel Aviv. Those present included the Apostolic Nuncio in Israel, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, and the Ambassador of the Philippines in Israel. Father David Neuhaus SJ, coordinator of the […]
A priest helping Christians sheltering in Syria’s Old City of Homs has been murdered. Dutch Jesuit Fr. Frans van der Lugt was shot twice in the head this morning, April 7. Speaking from Syria, fellow Jesuit Fr. Ziad Hillal told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), “Fr. Frans was apparently killed by […]
In spite of an uncertain future, Christians in Syria do not want to leave. This was the message of a local Catholic leader, who said, “We Christians are living in fear, the future is uncertain, but we want to stay in our homeland.” The statement came from the Melkite Greek-Catholic Archbishop of Homs, Hama and […]
Twelve nuns kidnapped by jihadists in Syria last December were set free yesterday (Sunday, March 9th). Patriarch Gregorios III, head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, broke the news to a team from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), who had just arrived in Lebanon to visit projects supporting refugees from Syria. The Damascus-based […]
An urgent appeal for prayer has come from one of Ukraine’s most senior Catholic bishops as momentous political change sweeps the country. Archbishop Mieczys?aw Mokrzycki, President of Ukraine’s Latin-rite Catholic Bishops’ Conference, highlighted the “great solidarity” of people worldwide, shown in prayer and practical aid. The archbishop’s comments, given in an interview with Catholic charity […]
A local priest has reported on the looting, killings and rape that have followed the withdrawal of Seleka rebels into Chad from the Central African Republic, including the attempted rape of two religious Sisters. Father Aurelio Gazzera, Caritas Director of the Diocese of Bouar, made his report to international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the […]
A local Catholic has expressed a resounding “No” to hatred and revenge in the Central African Republic in that face of hatred and conflict. Archbishop Dieudonnè Nzapalainga of Bangui made his commented while speaking recently with international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). In the interview, the archbishop lamented that the Central […]
A local Catholic expressed his hopes and concerns regarding the proposed building of a wall in the Holy Land that could result in Christian families losing their homes. Speaking on Monday, Jan. 27, with international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem hopes […]
According to a local bishop, the “brutal” crackdown on demonstrators in Ukraine is acting as a recruitment agent for the protest movement. “It is hard to imagine a more prayerful [protest] in 21st century Europe,” says Bishop Gudziak,describing the country as being engaged “in a battle for dignity.” Bishop Borys Gudziak, Eparch of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic […]
Coptic Catholic Bishops in Egypt have hailed the result of the referendum on the country’s new constitution, saying the document amounts to a crucial step towards religious freedom and other civil liberties for people of all faiths, including the country’s Christian minority. In interviews with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Bishops Kyrillos […]
The leader of Catholics in Syria has issued an urgent appeal to the faithful in Syria, and people throughout the world, to pray for the success of this week’s Geneva II peace conference to be held in Montreux, Switzerland. Damascus-based Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III has called on every Syrian Catholic, whatever their circumstances, […]
Life is not easy for Christians in Egypt, and the strain is taking its toll. Beyond the reports of churches burned and homes attacked, there is also a more subtle hardship affecting ordinary families. While not universal, mistreatment and discrimination are unfortunately all too common. “Every day we leave our house, not knowing what will […]
According to a local Catholic leader, Nigeria’s well-being holds the key to the fate of the African continent: “If Nigeria falls to Islamic extremists, all of Africa will be at risk.” Bishop Hyacinth Egbebo is the administrator of the Apostolic Vicariate of Bomadi, in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, in the heart of the country’s oil-rich but […]
Just recently, Pope Francis said that the Church should be a “field hospital.” In the Central African Republic, this is now everyday routine. Thousands of people have sought shelter in the mission stations and monasteries. The Carmelite monastery in the capital Bangui has also been turned into a refugee camp. Normally the monastery is a […]
“In Iraq there are fewer and fewer Christians. The persistent violence, fear, lack of work opportunities and the issue of safety for life and limb are forcing us to leave our country, our homes and our families,” Msgr. Shlemon Warduni reported directly on the tragedy which seems never ending. “The future for Christians in Iraq, […]
Hopes are high, ahead of the meeting of the Catholic patriarchs of the Middle East with the Pope. Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako, the head of the Chaldean Catholic Church, which is in full communion with Rome, spoke to the international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), remarking that he expects […]
Horrific details are emerging of atrocities carried out in a Christian town in Syria in what is being seen as the worst act of anti-Christian persecution since the war in Syria began. Inhabitants of Sadad, near Homs, who fled the largely Syrian Orthodox town when rebels attacked last month, are now returning home to discover […]
The first ever hospice in Russia for children with terminal illnesses is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The project was started by the Russian Orthodox priest Aleksandr Tkachenko, who came recently to visit the international headquarters of the Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in the town of Königstein, near […]
Despite a measure of improvement in the security situation for the Christians in Egypt, the media spokesman for the Catholic Church in the country, Father Rafik Greiche, continues to be concerned. Speaking to the international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) on Wednesday, he said, “Things have become somewhat calmer in […]
A few hours after the explosion Pakistan’s Catholic bishops issued a statement condemning the murders which took place at All Saints Anglican Church this week (22nd September).In the statement Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi, president of Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said: “The attacking of innocent men, women and children while praying in the church is […]
A Syrian prelate, ordained a bishop only last month, has spoken of his dismay at the country’s mass exodus of Christians, but he is convinced that the future of one of the world’s oldest Church communities is assured. Melkite Greek Catholic Bishop Nicolas Antiba of Bosra and Hauran described how his faithful in southern Syria […]
When it comes to the current peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians the Jerusalem Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali feels torn between hope and skepticism. Talking to the international Catholic pastoral charity, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Shomali, who is responsible in the Latin Patriarchate for the Palestinian areas, said (last Friday): “My […]
“The Islamists are taking revenge on us Christians!” These words were the commentary of Coptic-Catholic Bishop of Assiut, Kyrillos William Samaan, with regard to the latest Islamist attacks on Christians and Christian institutions in Egypt while in conversation on Monday (August 12) with the international Catholic pastoral charity “Aid to the Church in Need” (ACN). […]
Christine Kapadia comes from Gujarat in western India. Just like almost 90 per cent of the 60 million inhabitants of this state, she grew up as a Hindu, in a quite common Indian family. But what was rather unusual, was the lively interest she showed as a child in God. “When my father took me […]
