The Voice of the suffering in Middle East

An argument between young people from two villages led to terror that could have ended with tragedy. Pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has received reports of a violent incident in a predominantly Christian village in Syria, during which an Orthodox priest narrowly escaped being shot. According to local sources in direct contact with ACN, violence broke out on the night of October 3, following an altercation between young people from the Christian village of Al-Suqaylabiyah and ...

As the olive harvest approaches, the residents of Alma el-Chaab hope to obtain permission to work their land. In testimony collected by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), their parish priest, Maronite Chorbishop Maroun Ghafari, describes the daily reality of a dispersed community trying to prepare for its return. More than six months after their forced displacement from Alma el-Chaab, the residents of this village in southern Lebanon remain deeply attached to their land. In September, around ten farmers ...

The rector of a seminary in the West Bank warns of growing pressure. The Christian presence in the Holy Land is under threat, according to Father Bernard Poggi, rector of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem’s seminary in Beit Jala, near Bethlehem. At the same time, hope among Christians remains strong and the communities are still vibrant. Fr. Poggi made these remarks during a Day of Prayer for Christians in the Middle East, organized by Aid to the Church in Need ...

The parish priest of Gaza has said that the re-opening of a Catholic school in the devastated territory offers “a sign of hope” for people who have very little to be hopeful about. Holy Family School in the old city of Gaza re-opened this morning for approximately 1,000 students, serving the local Holy Family Catholic Parish, but also the wider community, with the majority of the students being Muslim. Fr. Gabriel Romanelli said that he hoped the re-opening of the ...

Christian schools in Jerusalem announced the suspension of classes on September 1, 2026, due to the non-renewal of entry permits into the city for dozens of members of their staff. The strike was supposed to be indefinite, but was called off after one day, after Israeli authorities renewed some of the permits. In a statement sent to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the headmaster of the Collège des Frères in Jerusalem warns of the consequences of this situation ...

The Christian community has seen discrimination rise but remains firm in the faith in the land of Christianity’s roots. The situation in Syria remains unstable almost two years after the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the rise to power of President Ahmed al-Sharaa. During a recent visit to Spain, Fr. Fadi Azar, a Franciscan from the Custody of the Holy Land who is originally from Syria and is currently serving in Aleppo, spoke to Aid to the Church in Need ...