The Voice of the suffering in Middle East

Radical Jewish settlers have been attacking the Christian town of Taybeh with increasing violence, while the Israeli military and police ignore requests for help.  The leaders of the main Christian Churches in the Holy Land are questioning the complicity of the Israeli authorities in the face of escalating attacks on the West Bank city of Taybeh by radical Jewish settlers.  Taybeh is the last fully Christian town in the Holy Land. Over the past weeks, groups of radical Jewish settlers ...

The Church in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley is thriving, despite the ongoing armed conflict and economic instability. Christian families and individuals are offering a powerful witness by looking after those displaced by the war. New religious congregations are also on the rise, helping to keep the Faith alive in Christianity’s heartland in the Middle East. The Beqaa Valley, known as Lebanon’s breadbasket, has been hit hard by regional tensions. While Hezbollah strongholds in Shia-majority areas have been heavily targeted, Christian villages ...

It is with sadness and gratitude that Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) bids farewell to Bishop Paul Thabet Habib of Alqosh, who passed away on June 20, following a battle with cancer. To us, he was not only a close partner, but a true companion in mission.  Bishop Thabet Habib Yousif Mansor Almako played a key role during the most difficult years for Christians in Iraq. In 2014, when ISIS forced more than 120,000 people to flee the ...

“We feel that we are alone”: The priest echoes the pain of the Christian community after the attack in Damascus last Sunday.  “Christians in Syria are feeling a great pain. The Christian community throughout Syria is going through a moment of deep sadness: the loss of 30 Christians who died in this attack. So far, there are 54 wounded.” This is what Father Fadi Azar, a Franciscan priest in Syria, said in an interview with Aid to the Church in ...

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is profoundly saddened and alarmed by the deadly attack that took place on Sunday evening in Damascus, Syria, during a service at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Elias in the Dweila district. According to early reports, an explosion at the church entrance caused at least 20 deaths and more than 50 injuries among those attending and passersby. Regina Lynch, Executive President of ACN International, said: “We are deeply shocked by this tragic ...

The Patriarch of the Maronite Church, Cardinal Bechara Raï, is calling for measures so that Christians will not abandon the Middle East, because they are a decisive moderating factor among the region’s Muslim-majority countries.   “Many have had to abandon Syria, because nobody can live in a war, under bombardment,” the cardinal told pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). “This migration is reducing the number of Christians, who, in the Middle East, have contributed to the formation of ...