Eternal Rest Upon You
Pope Francis
1936-2025

We Mourn a Messenger of Dialogue and Mercy

Please join us in prayer for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, who died on
Easter Monday April 21st, at the age of 88.

“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.” Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber.

May God reward him for his faithful service. We will continue the mission of Pope Francis, who on his travels often put the “people of the margins” in the center.

News of the Suffering and Persecuted

ACN says farewell to Pope Francis

Pope Francis was the “Pontiff for the people on the edges of society and a tireless fighter for religious freedom and oppressed Christians,” the Executive President of the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Regina Lynch, said on the passing of Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at the age of 88. “That is how we remember ...

Visit to the Cemetery of Lychakivskyi in Lviv, where more than 600 soldiers are buried, accompanied by a military chaplain.

Ukraine three years on: “Why, why, why?”

Crying women, soldiers with emotional and physical wounds, families destroyed by uncertainty: Father Anton Lässer and Magda Kaczmarek from ACN report on these and other stories, which make visible the deep wounds of the conflict in Ukraine. The scars of the war in Ukraine are not only visible on bodies; they are also reflected in the faces of those who experience ...

Burned cross in St George’s Coptic Cathedral, Luxor.

New book details the Martyrs of the 21st Century

At the invitation of ACN, Robert Royal has written a book about persecuted Christians over the past 25 years. The same author wrote a book on the martyrs of the 20th century, which was published in the year 2000. As the Church marked the Second Millennium of Christianity, Pope John Paul II led a global celebration commemorating 2,000 years since the ...

The Central African Republic: An example of reconciliation between Christians and Muslims

During his visit to the headquarters of the international pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Aurelio Gazzera, who, since last year, has been Coadjutor Bishop of Bangassou in the Central African Republic, spoke about the significant progress that has been made in the relationships between Christians and Muslims in the country. For a long time, the Central ...

Burkina Faso: Mathieu’s Gethsemane

“Six hundred and ninety-eight, six hundred and ninety-nine, seven hundred.” Mathieu passes pebbles from one side to another. Seven hundred in all, one for each of the Hail Marys he has prayed that night. A night which to him feels like the evening in Gethsemane, in the Garden of Olives, where Jesus also felt alone, abandoned by His disciples, where He ...

“More war won’t solve the situation. It only makes it worse,” says Gaza priest

Father Gabriel Romanelli says that living with 500 people in a closed compound is not easy, but that the Christians in Gaza consider themselves fortunate to have survived thus far and to be able to help thousands of other families in the region. The parish priest of Holy Family Parish in Gaza, Father Gabriel Romanelli, has made another desperate plea for ...