The Republic of South Sudan and the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) have signed a peace declaration in Rome that takes effect from today January 15. In peace talks in Rome facilitated by the Catholic community of Sant’Egidio, opposition groups and the South Sudanese government recommitted to cease hostilities, pursue political dialogue, and allow...

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila led thousands of devotees in prayers for peace as tensions mount between the United States and Iran following the assassination of a top Iranian general. A few days after Iran warned of retaliation for the January 3 US airstrike that killed General Qassem Soleimani, the cardinal said that “a...

An Assyrian priest and two other Assyrian Christians were arrested Friday in Turkey and slapped with terror charges for allegedly offering bread and water to Kurdish militants who visited his monastery, according to reports. Priest Sefer Bileçen of the Mor Yakup Monastery in southeast Turkey was detained last Thursday, according to Mezopotamya news agency in...

On 10th February many Christians in Malta celebrate the Feast of the Shipwreck of St Paul, marking and giving thanks for the arrival of Christian faith on these islands. The reading from the Acts of the Apostles used for the feast is the text chosen for this year’s Week of Prayer. Hospitality is a much...

Plans to build India’s largest statue of Jesus in the southern state of Karnataka have encountered heavy opposition from local Hindu nationalists. The state-level government, controlled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has asked for the suspension of construction until the ownership of the construction plot has been established by a government inquiry....

The Catholic pastoral charity and pontifical foundation ACN International has learned with dismay of the abduction of four young seminarians in Kaduna, Nigeria. According to local sources, the incident occurred on 8 January 2020 at the Good Shepherd seminary in the city of Kaduna in northern Nigeria. Shortly after 10.30 p.m. armed men broke through...

A study published earlier this year reveals about 3,000 attacks on churches, schools and Christian symbols in Europe over the past year. According to research conducted by the Gatestone Institute , the study center and international policy council, these attacks were particularly significant in France and Germany, but were also “common” in countries such as Belgium, Britain,...

The beheading of 10 Christians by Islamist militants in Nigeria has sparked a condemnation by a bishop who accuses the government of using different methods to achieve the same goal of Islamic dominance. In the wake of the Christmas Day attack by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and an attack by Boko Haram on...

THOUSANDS of Syrian children could afford to smile last Christmas thanks to Aid to the Church in Need’s Gifts of Faith– according to a Sister helping suffering Christians. In an audio-message to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), project partner Sister Annie Demerjian thanked the charity’s benefactors for supporting children living in the ruins...