PAKISTAN “A call to pray and serve my people” – Cardinal Coutts On his return to Pakistan after being created cardinal in Rome, Cardinal Joseph Coutts commented: “I am not chosen because I am the most capable. This is God’s plan for me: serving him close to the Holy Father. It is a responsibility...
SYRIA 40 Reasons for Hope ACN unveils fresh emergency and pastoral aid plan More than 40 projects offering emergency relief and spiritual support to people in Syria have just been approved by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. The £2.65 million (€3 million) programme being rolled out in the capital Damascus,...
THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO “We are abandoned by the state” say bishops of Equatorial region Bishops of the Congolese Province of Equator are very concerned about the local socio-economic situation in the Equatorial region. “The Bishops emphasize that the Equator is not connected well to the rest of the Country, which is abandoned...
ERITREA The first step after peace must be helping young people After a peace agreement was signed in July by Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki and Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed formally ending 20 years of war between the two countries, an Eritrean Catholic priest said the country needs to focus on opportunities for youth,...
PAKISTAN The Christian minority in Balochistan is facing greater security issues Pakistan’s new prime minister, Imran Khan, said that the “major focus” of his government will be to “address the plight of the oppressed and weakest segments of the society, including minorities, and to fight poverty.” One region to which the term “oppressed and...
IRAQ ‘We would be lost without our fellow Christians in the West’ Christians in the West have played a crucial role in reviving communities in Iraq ravaged by extremists in the ancient Nineveh Plains – according to a Church leader who has helped pioneer their resettlement in towns and villages which have been their...
ETHIOPIA 10 Churches burned, 30 killed including 6 priests in Somali Region Hundreds of Ethiopians demonstrated last week near the government media office in the capital Addis Ababa, demanding that the Federal government acts to protect civilians as the situation in Jijiga and other parts of the Somali region in eastern Ethiopia worsens: “Ethiopians have...
JAPAN UNESCO recognizes the heritage of ‘Hidden Christians’ in World Heritage List The hidden Christians of Japan were first brought to the world’s attention when Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pontiff, mentioned them in his address to the bishops of the episcopal conference of Japan in 2015. “Even when all lay missionaries and priests...
NICARAGUA Thousands march in support of bishops after attack Thousands of Nicaraguans marched through the capital, Managua, bearing images of the Virgin Mary and Nicaraguan flags in a show of support for the country’s bishops who are mediating in the National Dialogue Process between the government and the opposition and have been attacked by...
PAKISTAN God shines a light into Catholic girl’s fearful existence Dolly Sarwar Bhatti is an 11-years old Catholic girl. She is a fifth-grader in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and her place of birth. In this interview to the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need, Dolly speaks of the everyday concerns of a...
