Holy Land – Preparing for Pope Francis
When Pope Paul VI visited the Holy Land, Auxiliary Bishop Marcuzzo was still only a seminarian, but to this day he remains impressed by the visit. Now, 50 years later, other seminarians are preparing...
View ArticleCatholics in Mongolia: Steady Growth in Difficult Territory
Children in front of a chapel in the Apostolic Prefecture of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (© ACN) According to a local Catholic leader, the Catholic Church is growing steadily in Mongolia, despite all the...
View ArticleIraq: “We Fear a Civil War”
“We fear a civil war. If the various different opposing internal parties do not succeed in finding an agreement, then we must expect the worst. Another war would mean the end, especially for us...
View ArticleChristian Exodus from Iraq Accelerates
The migration of Christians out of Iraq will accelerate. This was the view held by the head of the Chaldean-Catholic Church, Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako. In an interview with the international...
View ArticleTargeted intimidation: First attack on Catholic nuns in Bangladesh
For the first time, Catholic nuns have been the target of a concerted, brutal attack in Bangladesh involving a late-night attack by dozens of men that lasted over an hour. “50 to 60 armed men attacked...
View ArticleIraq’s Christians Facing a Human Catastrophe
“They are facing a human catastrophe and risk a real genocide. They need, water, food, shelter…” These were the words of the leader of Iraq’s biggest Catholic community as he made an impassioned plea...
View ArticleSyrian Bishop Cries Out: ‘Help My People Stay’
“We are strong in our faith, rooted in our history. We have been here for 2000 years. We refuse to go!” Iraq and Syria are in turmoil. In Iraq, Islamic radicals of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria...
View ArticleIn Lebanon, a Major Catholic Village Walks its Way of the Cross
The village of Kaa is in the north of the Bekaa Valley, close to the Syrian border. It has a population of some 13,000 Christians, most of them Melkites. After the city of Zahle, this is the home of...
View ArticleChristians Struggle to Rebuild Their Lives in Syria
ACN photo: Sister Maria of Nazareth “War is a terrible and cruel thing.” SISTER MARIA of Nazareth has committed herself to an extraordinary mission. The Argentinian nun from the Institute of the...
View ArticleWorst-hit Nigerian Diocese is Reeling from Boko Haram Attacks
ACN photo: IDPs cared for by the Diocese of Maiduguri “People are dying every day and in most cases with no one to give them a decent burial–they are left to rot; their homes and properties looted.”...
View ArticleChristian Community in India Still Awaits Justice–but Faith Flourishes
Last August marked the anniversary of the 2008 massacre of more than 100 Christians at the hands of a Hindu mob in Kandhamal district in Orissa (Odisha) State, India—and the culprits, though most of...
View ArticleCentral African Republic: Catholics Reach Out to Former Deadly Enemies
The Catholic leader of the Central African Republic embodies his Church’s commitment to peace and national reconciliation. Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapailanga, the president of the bishops’ conference and...
View ArticleJordan Church Struggles to Accommodate Refugees, Shield Youth from Extremism
ACN photo: Refugees entering Jordan For years now, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has been a haven for refugees from Iraq. However, a critical limit is in view as the country is also forced to...
View ArticleAmong Christian Refugees in Kurdistan, ‘No One is Angry at God’
By Oliver Maksan ACN photo: Christian refugees in Ankawa ERBIL, Kurdistan—”Thank you, thank you, thank you:” Suheila, an elderly Christian woman from Mosul was effusive in expressing her gratitude to a...
View ArticleEgyptian Catholic Copts Consecrate First-Ever Church in Sinai
“The Church in Egypt has been strengthened by the murder of our brothers in Libya.” Such was the reaction by Coptic Catholic Bishop Youssef Aboul-Kheir of Sohag to the beheading of 21 Orthodox Coptic...
View ArticleISIS Said to Have Begun Executing Captured Syrian Christians
By John Newton ACN photo: seeking shelter in Hassake; courtesy Assyrian Church, Beirut In a fast-developing, highly fluid story, there are now reports that ISIS has started killing hostages seized...
View ArticleBoko Haram Suffers Setback, Refugees Return Home
ACN photo: Faithful in the Diocese of Maiduguri “It is all up to God—it’s not up to us to avenge and take retribution.” That’s the message proclaimed by Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme of Maiduguri,...
View ArticleIraq: ‘We Priests and Nuns Will Be the Last to Leave’
By Oliver Maksan ACN photo: Sister Suhama “At night we often hear gunfire. But luckily we are quite a bit away from the fighting,” Father Steven says. In fact, the town of Alqosh is only 10 miles away...
View Article‘Canonizations give hope to Christians in the Holy Land’
By Oliver Maksan ACN Photo: The tomb of Saint Mariam JERUSALEM—Pope Francis’ May 17, 2015 canonization of two Palestinians, Blessed Marie Alphonsine Ghattas and Blessed Mariam Baouardi, “gives hope to...
View ArticleHaitian Bishop: ‘Human Restoration’ is Church’s Top Priority
By Antonia von Alten ACN photo: Bishop Saturné NEW YORK—Five years after Haiti’s devastating earthquake, the local Church has suffered a series of brazen attacks on Church properties. Between November...
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