Beatified Italian war hero “is an example to youth,” Pope says Pope Francis commented on the recent beatification of Teresio Olivelli (1916-1945) “He has borne witness to Christ through the love of the weak, and he is united with the long rank of the martyrs of the last century. May his heroic sacrifice be the...
SYRIA Life asserts itself again in Aleppo A large group of Christian university students form a real family in the shadows of war The city district Sahbat Al-Jadida in the eastern part of Aleppo was hard hit by attacks and bombings during the last five years of the war in Syria. Today, several months after...
EGYPT “Before my father died, he gave me the keys to the church” A 15-year-old Christian, who held her dying father in her arms moments after a Cairo suicide bomb attack by Daesh (ISIS), has spoken about her heart-breaking experience.Marian Nabil Habib told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need about the “martyrdom” of...
CHILE Helping destitute migrants on the Bolivia-Chile border During his recent visit to Chile, Pope Francis visited Iquique, a coastal city in the north of the country which hosts a large number of economic migrants. They represent a major challenge for the Chilean people. In Pisiga, a frontier post on the border between Bolivia and...
CANADA Toronto Cardinal in forefront of religious freedom struggle In a growing controversy that is seen by many as an attack on religious freedom, the Canadian federal government is demanding that applicants for the Canada Summer Jobs Program confirm that they agree with the government’s “core mandate.” According to the policy adopted on 19 December...
RUSSIA Concrete steps in the spirit of ecumenism The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has been working to further the dialogue between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches for 25 years. The director of the foundation’s British national office describes a new joint initiative in Stavropol that assists women with...
MALI Kidnapped Colombian nun appears in second hostage video A Colombian nun kidnapped nearly a year ago in Mali appears in an online video released at the end of Jan in which she asks for the intervention of Pope Francis. News of this new video, lasting 4 minutes and 44 seconds with a voiceover...
EGYPT Christians still face discrimination against churches For decades the construction and renovation of churches in Egypt have been obstructed by complex bureaucracy, resulting in the deterioration of church buildings and a shortage of places of worship for Christians. Bishop Anba Macarius stated that in his diocese alone, which includes only Minya city and its...
ALGERIA 19 murdered religious to be beatified The 19 Catholic religious assassinated in Algeria in the 1990s are on the way to be beatified by Pope Francis. The Church in Algeria wishes that the proclamation will take place in Oran, Algeria. Pope Francis received, on the 1st September 2017, the Archbishop of Algiers, Mgr....
“We must condemn all violence in the name of God” – Pope appeals to all religious leaders Addressing the Tackling Violence Committed in the Name of Religion conference in the Vatican, Pope Francis reiterated what he said during his April 2017 visit to Egypt: “God, the lover of life, never ceases to love the...
