The Voice of the suffering in Middle East

The Bailasan Counseling Center is the first Catholic psychosocial and mental health institution aimed exclusively at helping the Christian community in the West Bank. ACN funded the renovation work at the center and, during a recent visit, spoke to those whose job is to care for a people suffering from a variety of traumas, resulting from the prevailing political and economic tensions in the Holy Land.  In a survey of close to 300 Palestinian Christians, conducted between October and December ...

Archbishop Arbach will participate in the “Night of Witnesses” in the cathedral of Madrid on March 14th.  Following the massacres that took place in western Syria on March 8th and 9th, which, according to available reports and estimates, left 1,000 dead, the Archbishop of Homs, Jean Abdo Arbach, has told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that “we don’t want any more bloodshed. We call for unity and reconciliation. After 14 years of war, we don’t need another conflict.” ...

The heads of Christian Churches in the Holy Land have officially protested a renewed attempt to force them to pay certain taxes in the State of Israel. The most pressing case at the moment is related to the Armenian Church, but there are many cases involving Catholic institutions.  The Patriarchs and heads of local Churches of Jerusalem have issued an official statement condemning the most recent attempt by the Municipality of Jerusalem to force Churches to pay the municipal tax ...

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) expresses its deep concern over the escalating violence in Syria, particularly in the coastal region, where hundreds of civilians have fallen victim to indiscriminate attacks. The situation has created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, including for Christian communities, who have already suffered greatly over the past decade.  According to sources in Latakia close to the charity, who ACN prefers to keep anonymous for security reasons, last Friday was “a very black and ...

“We have seen plenty of improvement in these girls. They find meaning, and they can face the challenges life has for them.”  For International Women’s Day, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) spoke to Sister Marie Akl, a religious from the Congregation of the Good Shepherd, about her valuable work in the shelter for vulnerable young people in Nabaa, Lebanon, where children and adolescents manage to overcome their trauma through workshops, integral care, and even personal defense classes.   Who ...

Gaza is currently experiencing a fragile peace, but a visiting delegation from ACN found that the situation in the West Bank has not improved for Christians, who must struggle to find reasons to hope in the future.  It takes around 20 minutes to drive from Ain ‘Arik to Ben Gurion Airport. Or it could, if not for the roadblocks and the fact that Palestinians have been forbidden from using Ben Gurion since the beginning of the war in Gaza.   The ...