GERMANY Arson attempt on Hamburg church Worshipers at the Immanuelkirche in the Veddel district of Hamburg were shocked to discover on Christmas morning that someone had vandalised and tried to burn down their church. During the night arsonists had stacked up the furniture in an apartment adjoining the church vestibule and set it on...
INDIA Churches were warned not to celebrate Christmas As tensions escalated between Christians and Hindus last December, churches in some parts of India received a last minute warning not to celebrate Christmas. In a desperate bid to quash the violence, the regional authorities put Manipur on lockdown and banned churches from celebrating Christmas. They also...
“What is most important is getting together in person” Interview with Peter Humeniuk, head of the Russian section of Aid to the Church in Need, who was given the opportunity to talk about ACN’s works and Father Werenfried at an international conference held at the Orthodox University in Moscow. The interview was conducted by...
Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw of Lahore says: “The Christians of Pakistan are champions of mercy” “Happy New Year to all the benefactors of ACN, and thank you for all your help.” So says Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw of Lahore, the largest diocese in the whole of Pakistan. A Franciscan and a member of the...
Egypt’s Christians – ” Between fear and trust in God” Coptic Catholic Bishop Kyrillos William believes that the most recent attack on the Coptic cathedral in Cairo has stoked fears of further Islamist attacks in Egypt. However, in an interview with Andrea Krogmann of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the bishop of Assiut...
New Year message from Fr Hilal in Aleppo For the past few weeks, Aleppo city has been breathing sighs of relief. Since the rebels reached an agreement with the regime forces and its allies to evacuate all civilians and militants from their last stronghold in east Aleppo city, finally there can be some peace....
Pope Francis appeals for peace in Congo “I ask you all to pray that dialogue in the Democratic Republic of Congo might unfold with serenity, in order that all types of violence can be avoided, and [to pray] for the good of the whole country.” Pope Francis made the appeal for the African nation...
BURKINA FASO – Care centre gives teenage mothers a future As soon Antoinette told her boyfriend she was pregnant, he slammed the door in her face. Suddenly, he would have nothing to do with her any longer. Even her uncle, in whose home she had been living, simply kicked her out of the house when...
Jesuit priest calls for reconciliation in Aleppo On Wednesday last week a cease-fire agreement came into effect for the hard-fought Syrian city of Aleppo. But fighting resumed and sporadic acts of violence are still being carried out by the pro-Syrian forces against the civilian population. Jesuit Father Ziad Hilal, a Jesuit who oversees projects...
IRAQ – Painful memories as displaced Christians revisit Qaraqosh In the weeks after Iraqi forces recaptured Qaraqosh, near Mosul, some displaced Iraqi Christians have returned to their former villages to see what is left of their homes and churches. Christianity in northern Iraq dates back to the first century AD. The minority gradually fled the...
