Pope Francis’ 2017 Christmas message highlights plight of children in war zones In his Christmas message the Pope invites us to focus on the sign of the Child Jesus and to recognise Him in the faces of little children who are suffering in war zones. Below is the text of Pope Francis’ Christmas message Dear...
HOLY LAND “The peace the shepherds announced in this holy place has always been difficult” The guardian of the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem was speaking to the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). “We have to see the Child Jesus in each individual person whom we help. Above...
PAKISTAN Bishop hails rapid response of police and army A Pakistan bishop in Quetta has praised the country’s “truly heroic” security services saying that had they not been so quick and decisive the death toll in Sunday’s attack at a packed Methodist church could have run into hundreds. Describing how the police and army...
PAKISTAN Nine killed in IS suicide bomb attack on church Militants stormed a Methodist church in Pakistan last Sunday in the city of Quetta, some 65km (40 miles) from the Afghan border. The church was packed with worshippers at the time and the suicide bomb and gun attack killed at least nine people. Dozens...
Scientists may finally resolve controversy over the location of Santa Claus’ remains Churches in various countries believe that they hold the true remains of St Nicholas – the saint who inspired Santa Claus. For centuries, the remains of St. Nicholas were thought to have been stolen from Turkey and smuggled to the Italian city...
EQUADOR Advent prayer booklets teach children the true meaning of Christmas Christmas is not, first and foremost, about giving presents of course, but rather, for Christians at least, about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ our Redeemer. God came into this world as a little child to lead us to salvation. And it is...
IRAQ Ankawa warehouse turned into “Santa’s Workshop” for Nineveh children Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is committed to ensuring that the Iraqi children from the Nineveh plains will not be without Christmas presents this year. It is a large warehouse with white and grey walls. Dozens of boxes are piled up on...
“Jerusalem should be at the end of these negotiations, not the beginning” – Archbishop Pizzaballa Within the framework of a conference on persecuted Christians in the Middle East held at the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, December 5th co-organized by Aid to the Church in Need, Mark Riedemann took the opportunity to interview...
Holy See calls for a negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians “The only negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians must lead to a stable and lasting peace, and guarantee the peaceful coexistence of two States,” stated the Holy See in a press release relating to the status of Israel and the peace process in the Holy Land between Israelis...
