IRAQ – Holy Week multi-faith Peace March from Erbil to Alqosh During Holy Week the Chaldean Patriarchate of Babylon held a 140 kilometer Peace March “open to Christians and Muslims”, to ask for the gift of peace and an end to all violence in the Middle East. The route started in Ankawa (suburb of...
DR CONGO – Fresh attacks on church property and clergy Violence has erupted again in the Democratic Republic of Congo, ravaged by fighting between army troops and followers of traditional chief Kamuina Nsapu. Fresh attacks on Catholic church buildings were reported from the Kasai region. Militiamen attacked the town of Luebo,damaging several buildings including...
NIGERIA – ACN delegation visits the dioceses most seriously affected by Boko Haram 14 members of the pontifical foundation ACN, including some national directors and members of the communications departments of various of its national offices, travelled to the states of Borno, Jos and Kaduna, in the North of Nigeria in order to inform...
JERUSALEM – Chapel of the Crucifixion regains its splendour The Custody of the Holy Land has also finished the restoration of the interior decoration of the chapel of the Crucifixion, located in the Holy Sepulchre. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a church in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem that...
EGYPT – State of emergency declared after deadly attacks on churches Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency after the worst terrorist attack on civilians under his rule that left at least 44 dead raised fears that Islamic State was planning to launch more assaults on major cities. IS claimed responsibility for...
CZECH REPUBLIC –“ A life under the sign of the cross” On 25 March Cardinal Miroslav Vlk was laid to rest in the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. Thousands of people paid their last respects to a shepherd whom the Communists would have liked to silence. Just a few hours before his death, Cardinal...
PARAGUAY – Religious sisters work in remote villages where priests can rarely visit This report was written by Jacques Berset as part of a project visit carried out by the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Paraguay. “Tupãsy! Tupãsy? The Mother of Jesus is coming!” These were the words spoken in Guarani to...
IRAQ – Displaced Christians are returning to their former homelands Despite continuing insecurity, a few brave Christian and Yizidi genocide survivors have begun to return to the ruins that were once their homes and businesses. Some Christian families have started straggling back to the eastern part of Mosul, which has recently been liberated from Islamic State...
SUDAN – Christians who criticise church demolitions pressured to keep silent Since 2012 Sudan has been bulldozing church buildings and harassing and expelling foreign Christians. In April 2013 it was announced that no licenses would be granted to build new churches. Now the Sudanese government plans to demolish 25 church buildings in and near the...
Pope Francis appeals for the urgent protection of Mosul civilians ‘The Protection of Civilians Is an Imperative and Urgent Duty’ Speaking to an inter-religious Iraqi delegation, Pope Francis appealed for the protection of civilians in Iraq, which he said is “an imperative and urgent duty.” Francis said “I am happy to greet the delegation...
