Category: Those in Need

Iraq's Displaced Christians 'Will Go Back Home,' Once Their Safety is Assured
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Iraq’s Displaced Christians ‘Will Go Back Home,’ Once Their Safety is Assured

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By Maria Lozano NEW YORK—According to a leading Iraqi prelate, the country’s displaced Christians currently stranded in Kurdistan are unlikely to be able to return to their homes on the Nineveh Plane until Mosul is liberated and the region is completely pacified. In an interview with international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need […]

Faith-Based Programs Help Families Cope with Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, and Mental Illness
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Faith-Based Programs Help Families Cope with Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, and Mental Illness

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For some families coping with alcoholism, drug addiction, and mental illness, programs that rely strictly on science do not provide enough support and guidance. Many of these families find that faith-based programs offer the spiritual guidance and support network they need to move toward healing and wellbeing as a family unit. In fact, many researchers […]

With Just One Place to Worship, Somalia is a Dangerous Place for Christians
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With Just One Place to Worship, Somalia is a Dangerous Place for Christians

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By Mónica Zorita de la Morena NEW YORK—“Even if work has to be done silently, it is better to be here than not be here.” These are the words of Bishop Giorgio Bertin, the apostolic administrator of Mogadishu, Somalia. The prelate, who has been in the region for almost 40 years and also has responsibility […]

Iraqi Christians Rejoice Over Liberation of Qaraqosh
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Iraqi Christians Rejoice Over Liberation of Qaraqosh

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By Maria Lozano NEW YORK (Oct. 19, 2016)—Qaraqosh, a formerly major Christian town on Iraq’s Nineveh Plain has been liberated as part of the campaign to liberate Mosul, Iraq’s largest city. Before ISIS overran the Plane in the summer of 2014, Qaraqosh, which is also knows Baghdida, had a population of 50,000, the great majority […]

Syria: More Than One Million Children Sign Appeal for Peace
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Syria: More Than One Million Children Sign Appeal for Peace

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NEW YORK (Oct. 6, 2016)—This week, children at more than 2000 schools across Syria are drawing their images of peace and writing messages to the political decision-makers of the European Union and the United Nations under the motto “Peace for Children.” More than one million children are also signing a petition. This appeal for peace […]

Pro-Life Heroine Mother Teresa Will Be Declared a Saint
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Pro-Life Heroine Mother Teresa Will Be Declared a Saint

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Mother Teresa will be declared a Saint by Pope Francis in a special ceremony on Sunday at the Vatican. The pro-life heroine skillfully exploited her celebrity status to propel the pro-life cause internationally like no one else before her or since. The four feet tall Albanian nun was never afraid to speak truth to power, […]

Sisters in Bosnia: 'We Are There for the Children That Need Us'
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Sisters in Bosnia: ‘We Are There for the Children That Need Us’

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By Rolf Bauerdick NEW YORK (Aug. 24, 2016)—Katarina (19) has spent 17 years under the care of Sisters Admirata and Manda who run a home in Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital, for orphans and abandoned children. As an infant, Katarina was left in the care of her grandmother who could not handle the responsibility of caring […]

Christian-Muslim Relations Have Taken Turn for Worse in the Philippines
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Christian-Muslim Relations Have Taken Turn for Worse in the Philippines

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By M.Z. de la Morena  NEW YORK—Father ather Sebastiano D’Ambra, PIME, an Italian missionary, has spent almost 40 years in the Philippines, working for dialogue and peace between Christians and Muslims. His long-time positive outlook has recently changed drastically. “Before, the Philippines was a dream place for interreligious dialogue; there was complete harmony. But now […]

A Cry for Help from Carmelite Nuns in Aleppo, Syria
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A Cry for Help from Carmelite Nuns in Aleppo, Syria

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By Marta Petrosillo  NEW YORK—“The situation is a complicated and we are hearing many contradictory stories. The only truth we do know is that the people here are suffering and dying.” The words are those of Sister Anne-Françoise, a French religious of the Enclosed and Apostolic Discalced Carmelite Sisters of Aleppo, Syria. She spoke by […]

World Youth Day 2016 Pilgrim Confronts Addiction: 'The Gospel Heals'
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World Youth Day 2016 Pilgrim Confronts Addiction: ‘The Gospel Heals’

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By M. Z. de la Morena NEW YORK—Just a few years ago, if anyone had told Miguel that he would be speaking to Pope Francis in front of thousands of young people in Poland—telling the story of how he overcame his addiction to drugs—he would never have believed them. But that is exactly what Miguel […]

In Venezuela, 'The People Are Afraid'
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In Venezuela, ‘The People Are Afraid’

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By Maria Lozano NEW YORK—Venezuela was once the country of dreams—but those dreams have turned into nightmares. Such is the sad verdict of one of the country’s bishops. Case in point, Bishop Jaime Villarroel of the Diocese of Carúpano, told international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need: Most of the young people in […]

Iraq: ISIS Abandons a Town, Destruction Remains
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Iraq: ISIS Abandons a Town, Destruction Remains

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By Mark Riedemann TELSKUF, IRAQ (July 5, 2016)—It is the silence that you notice first. Not just a lack of noise but an absence of sounds. Even the birds have left. I am in Telskuf, Iraq, about 20 miles north of the Islamic State (ISIS) stronghold of Mosul and a mile and-a-half from the front […]

God Works Through Weakness to Bring Strength to His People
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God Works Through Weakness to Bring Strength to His People

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It was five years ago. The memory is still in my mind.I entered my room to discover my five-year-old grandson looking up at a large crucifix on the wall above my bed. He turned and asked if that really happened. “Yes it did,” I replied. “Did Jesus die?” he asked, turning back to look at […]

In Armenia, the Pope Will Visit a Very Special Convent
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In Armenia, the Pope Will Visit a Very Special Convent

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By M.Z. de la Morena  GYUMR?, Armenia—Sister Arousiag proudly points out the dormitory of the convent of Our Lady of Armenia here: it is where Pope Francis will rest for a few hours on the second day of his June 24-26, 2016 visit to Armenia. “It is the best room we have,” she assures a […]

Benevolent Global Village is a Myth
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Benevolent Global Village is a Myth

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The architects of a new world order often speak of a global village. Hillary Clinton tells us that it takes a village to raise a child. Are they speaking of the same village? If there is a benevolent global village then where is it and why is so much of humanity exiled from it? If the […]

'Mother Teresa Was the Best Missionary of the Millennium'
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‘Mother Teresa Was the Best Missionary of the Millennium’

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By Eva-Maria Kolmann NEW YORK—An Indian prelate has described Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, who will be canonized by Pope Francis Sept. 4, 2016, as the “best missionary of the millennium.” Bishop Salvadore Lobo of Baruipur, who headed the canonization committee, reported that Christ had said to Mother Teresa in a vision: “Go into the houses, […]

Thousands of Children in Syria Pray for Peace
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Thousands of Children in Syria Pray for Peace

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By Eva-Maria Kolmann  NEW YORK—On June 1, thousands of Christian children of all denominations gathered in several Syrian cities to celebrate “International Children’s Day” as a day of prayer for peace. In Homs, the occasion marked the first public event held with children since the liberation of the city by the Syrian regime. Christian television […]

'Armenians, Whether Catholic or Orthodox, Love the Pope'
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‘Armenians, Whether Catholic or Orthodox, Love the Pope’

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By Oliver Maksan NEW YORK—Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Armenia is boosting spirits and creating high expectations: “The Holy Father is coming to strengthen us Armenians in our faith. We Armenians, no matter whether Catholic or Orthodox, love him. After all, he recognized the genocide of our people. We will always remember him for that.” […]

A Message for Those Who Have Despaired of Life
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A Message for Those Who Have Despaired of Life

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Saint Anthony of Padua said: “Among all things that are lovable, there is one that is more lovable than the rest, and that most lovable thing is life.” Amen. It is in life that love and joy are possible, not death. The Apostle John tells us that Christ is source of life.[1] Christ came that […]

In Malawi, Church Eyes Islamic Radicalization With Concern
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In Malawi, Church Eyes Islamic Radicalization With Concern

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By Eva-Maria Kolmann  NEW YORK—A bishop from Malawi has expressed concern about the growing trend towards Islamization in his Mangochi Diocese, in the south of the country. Speaking with international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Stima Monfort stressed that traditional Islam in Malawi has been moderate and that Christians and Muslims […]

A Tale of Mercy in Rwanda
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A Tale of Mercy in Rwanda

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Hope in the midst of hopelessness “Christ revealed Himself to Sister Faustina between the two World Wars” reflects Fr. Stanislaw. “At a moment of deep hopelessness, when people were afflicted with tragedy after an evil that was done, exactly in this very moment, out of the deepest hopelessness when everything was lost, ruined, God revealed […]

Seven People to Pray for Today
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Seven People to Pray for Today

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It’s easy to fall into the habit of praying in too small a circle. We pray for our personal intentions, for our families and closest friends, our parish, but we sometimes forget to open the lens a bit and commit to intercessory prayer for those who may have no one praying for them at all. […]

Syria: 'Things Were Never So Bad in Aleppo Before'
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Syria: ‘Things Were Never So Bad in Aleppo Before’

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By Oliver Maksan NEW YORK—In an urgent appeal to the outside world, Franciscan Father Ibrahim Alsabagh is calling on Christians throughout the world to pray for the Syrian city of Aleppo, currently caught up in the midst of heavy fighting. “Never, since the beginning of this terrible war were things as bad as they are […]

Nigerian Bishops Ask Their President for Action on Christians' Rights
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Nigerian Bishops Ask Their President for Action on Christians’ Rights

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Nigeria’s Catholic bishops have in no uncertain terms asked their new president to enact and enforce policies that—in accordance with the country’s constitution—would guarantee fair treatment of Christians in the north of the country where they are often relegated to second-class status. Meeting May 2, 2016 with President Muhammadu Buhari, the bishops’ demands—voiced in a […]