IRAQ – Ordination of new priests in refugee camp brings joy to displaced Christians there Three young deacons, who were themselves displaced when ISIS attacked their seminary in Qaraqosh, have just been ordained priests of the Syriac-Catholic in the large, prefabricated church inside Erbil’s Aishty 2 camp, which is home to 5,500 displaced people forced...
Reflection on the feast of the Assumption two years ago in Erbil This picture was taken in Erbil by ACN staff, 9 days after ISIS took over the Nineveh Plain and thousands and thousands of people were displaced. “It was amazing and touching to see so much devotion, so much love to Our Lady...
Let’s be One” – 3000 postcards sent to young people in conflict zones The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is taking stock of its campaign “Let’s be One,” launched at the World Youth Day in Cracow from 26 to 31 July 2016. The aim of the campaign was to...
NIGERIA – Christians feel abandoned by Western churches Nigerian Christians, who have suffered for years from attacks by radical Islamic groups, feel abandoned by Western churches that have failed to speak out about the developing humanitarian tragedy. Nigerian Christians have been targeted by the radical Boko Haram group since 2009. In the past year, there has...
RUSSIA – Church runs holiday camp for Armenian Catholic children Once again this year 50 young people aged between 9 and 17 from the Armenian Catholic community of Venyov were able to take part in a youth summer camp. They were able to spend a week together with their friends in a pretty holiday location,...
Pope: It’s ‘unacceptable’ that civilians must pay the price of Syrian conflict Pope Francis expressed his concern at how many defenceless civilians are forced to “pay the price” of the ongoing Syrian crisis, and declared his solidarity for those affected. Speaking to the crowds gathered in St Peter’s Square from the Apostolic palace, Francis...
NIGERIA – Sectarian violence threatens to tear the country apart Nigeria is a ticking time bomb. Extreme violence and religious discrimination is threatening to tear the country apart along religious fault lines and spread its existing refugee crisis throughout the region. Elijah Brown, executive vice president of the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative, scribes the...
ZIMBABWE – Christian leaders join together to speak out against injustice and harassment of clergy The Zimbabwe Catholic bishops’ conference joined the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, and other groups in issuing a statement calling for an end to harassment of clergy and for a just response to other grievances: “We...
VIETNAM – Over 100 pastors imprisoned for preaching the Gospel In what appears to be an attempt to control the growth of Christianity in the region, government authorities in the Central Highlands of Vietnam have arrested another 66 pastors for preaching the gospel and for refusing to consolidate their churches into a much smaller congregation....
EGYPT – Christians hope new law will allow them to build churches Despite being the Middle East’s largest Christian minority, Egypt’s Copts have struggled for a long time to obtain official permission to build churches. Egyptian authorities often refuse to give Christians permits to build churches on the grounds that this would disturb the peace...
