Archbishop Tobji: “The restoration of the Cathedral is proof that we are still in this country . Our mouths must continue to praise God in this place” On Monday 20 July, after many difficulties in the work of reconstruction, the Maronite Cathedral of Saint Elijah, which suffered severe damage from mortar attacks during the war,...
“Here in Damascus, everything has become so expensive!” So says Sister Joseph-Marie Chanaa. “The worsening plight of the people has forced me to get involved in the social sphere in order to help the poor and the suffering”, she adds – for originally she worked as a catechist. A member of the congregation of the...
The executive president of ACN International, Dr. Thomas Heine-Geldern, has issued the following statement concerning the Turkish government‘s decision to allow Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to be used as a mosque: “ACN views the proposed reconversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque with grave concern. Once again a religious issue is being exploited for the...
In a positive step which is believed to be an answer to the prayers for Christians in Sudan, the government of Sudan has scrapped the death penalty for leaving Islam. Before now, anyone convicted of renouncing Islam, or apostasy, was sentenced to death, in line with the apostasy law. The best known case was of...
A Priest, who is retiring from a Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) after 14 years risking his life to bring aid to the Church in need, has been named a modern-day Good Samaritan by Iraq’s most senior Christian leader. Monsignor Andrzej Halemba served as Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) projects coordinator...
The European Union (EU) has decided it will have a Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion, responding to calls from political and civil society fronts in Europe and abroad. The decision was announced on Wednesday 8 July by the European Commission (EC) Vice-president, Margaritis Schinas, prompting a sigh of relief among the many organizations working...
A Nigerian cleric and spokesman of the Sharibu family has reacted to rumors that Leah Sharibu, the Christian schoolgirl held captive by Boko Haram for refusing to convert to Islam, had given birth to a baby boy fathered by a Boko Haram commander and had subsequently converted to Islam. Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam, speaking with Aid...
Catholic church in Mocímboa da Praia totally destroyed by terrorists A week after the attacks on the town on 27 and 28 June, the first documented information has come through concerning the destruction wrought by Jihadist groups in Mocímboa da Praia, a port town in the province of Cabo Delgado in the far north of...
A Christian family in Pakistan fighting for the return of a 14-year-old girl reportedly abducted from her home have had their hopes raised after the Grand Mufti of a local mosque issued a fatwa. Muhammad Asad Ali Rizvi Efi issued the Islamic ruling on behalf of the Sunni Rizvi Jammah Mosque, Jhung Bazar, Faisalabad, condemning...
Aid to the Church in Need warns of lack of security as the main reason for forced emigration Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has published the report, “Life after ISIS: New challenges to Christianity in Iraq” which includes the results of a series of surveys carried out over a one year period. The...
