Pope calls for action on climate change In a message addressed to the Moroccan minister for foreign affairs, Salaheddine Mezouar, Pope Francis said we have a “grave ethical and moral responsibility” to act on climate change “without delay.” Mezouar, chaired the 22nd meeting of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Agreement...
Congratulations Archbishop George Anthony Frendo, O.P. The National Director of Aid to the Church in Need (Malta), the staff, benefactors and friends would like to congratulate Mgr George Frendo on his consecration as Archbishop of Tirana. We pray to God and Our Lady to guide Mgr Frendo in his new mission as Archbishop of...
Democratic Republic of the Congo – ACN funds new care centre for orphans and the sick Already one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in the world, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been thrown still further into destitution and chaos by the continuing violence and armed conflict in the country. The lack of...
IRAQ – Archbishop Nona: “I was bishop of a diocese that no longer exists” “The diocese of Mosul is no longer, swept away when the self-proclaimed Islamic State sowed terror in the plain of Nineveh. But this diocese will come back, and so hopefully will the people,“ states Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona, who is now...
Mosul Christians fear they can never return home Two years after IS conquered Mosul, some of the city’s Christians still live as refugees in St Mary’s Church in Amman, Jordan – one of several churches in the Jordanian capital that opened its doors to terrified refugees who arrived with nothing but the clothes they...
CAMEROON – “We are still alive because we were in church” Time and again, the northern part of Cameroon has become the scene of suicide attacks by terrorists from Boko Haram. The people in Maroua-Mokolo are afraid. Time and again, the dioceses located along the border to Nigeria have become the scene of attacks by...
SOMALIA – Church reopens for remaining Catholics after 20 years “Even if it has to be silently, it is better to be there than not to be there”, explains Bishop Giorgio Bertin, the apostolic administrator of Mogadishu and bishop of Djibouti, referring to the presence of the Catholic Church in this part of the Horn...
Pope calls on religious leaders to condemn acts of terrorism As the Year of Mercy drew to a close, Pope Francis met with around 200 representatives of different religions at the Vatican including Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims who all work in fields related to charity and mercy. The Pope expressed his sadness at...
ACN’s new Religious Freedom Report warns of global impact of religious “hyper-extremism” Religious Fundamentalism – more lethal than ever seen before – is unleashing death, destruction, displacement and instability at unprecedented levels, according to a report out today. The Religious Freedom in the World 2016 report, produced by Catholic charity Aid to the Church...
PHILIPPINES – Training course for lay pastoral workers who support families in crisis The archdiocese of Zamboanga is the capital city of the peninsula region of the same name, which in turn is a part of the island of Mindanao. It serves a population of some 620,000 Catholics. Already in the past the archdiocese had...
