IRAQ – “Marshall Plan” needed for Nineveh Plain “Hope is coming back to the Nineveh Plains” reports the Middle East expert of a Catholic pastoral charity after returning from a fact-finding mission from the Iraqi Christian villages liberated last November from IS. Father Andrzej Halemba, head of the Middle East section for Aid to...
EGYPT – Muslim extremists committing daily atrocities against Christians Islamic extremists are carrying out daily atrocities, including kidnapping and murder. against Egyptian Christians. A local source, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) “There are many extremists Muslims who commit horrific acts every day –...
Pope addresses Commission for dialogue with Oriental Orthodox Churches Pope Francis sent a message to the International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. The Commission group includes representatives of the six ancient Churches of the East who met in the Vatican this week. Below is the official...
NIGERIA – Boko Haram ‘using babies in suicide bombings’ Boko Haram has sunk to new depths of depravity. Female suicide bombers in Nigeria are now carrying babies to avoid detection. In January two women detonated devices, killing four civilians as well as themselves and their babies in the town of Madagali. They were able to pass through a...
IRAQ – Freedom at last after two years under IS in Mosul Two months ago Ismail fled the Iraqi city of Mosul with his mother Jandark Behnam Mansour Nassi (55), after they had to survive under the terror of IS for over two years. Ismail and Jandark now live in Erbil, in the Iraqi...
SYRIA – Vatican sends delegation to newly liberated Aleppo At the beginning of January Cardinal Mario Zenari, Apostolic Nuncio for Syria, expressed his desire that 2017 would be a year that “truly marks” a change in Syria – a country that has been devastated by almost six years of war and where the fighting...
POLAND – Belarusian bishops meet Church benefactors in Warsaw The Catholic bishops of Belarus made a short visit to Warsaw to thank the largest institutions that have been helping the Church in Belarus for many years. These include the Pontifical Association of Aid to the Church in Need, the German aid association Renovabis, the...
PAPUA NEW GUINEA Priest dedicates his life to the poorest remote communities In the deep Melanesian jungles, a native Papua New Guinea Catholic priest walks miles through the deep thick forests. He scales the country’s steep mountainous terrain to reach his remote flock and serve in the poorest parishes every weekend. “These people live...
PAKISTAN – Christians united in prayer and deeds The Week for the Unity of Christians in Pakistan ended with an ecumenical prayer vigil where Christian of different denominations gathered to pray, reflect and share experiences. The four main Christian communities in the country are: the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church (known as the “Church...
