The Voice of the suffering in Middle East

Besides the human casualties and material damage, Israel’s war with Hezbollah is causing mass movements of people in a country where demography is always a very sensitive topic, which could cause problems in the future. As Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon continues, those who have been displaced by the bombings and the ones hosting and caring for them are showing signs of physical and psychological exhaustion, says Marielle Boutros, project coordinator for the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in ...

With Islamist groups gaining political influence in Bangladesh, Church sources are increasingly concerned about the treatment of Christians and ongoing attacks on Catholic schools.  In Bangladesh, Christians often struggle to find work, church construction projects are delayed, and the future of Catholic schools is under threat, according to a Church source who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons.  Speaking with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the unnamed source said that religious freedom, despite being guaranteed ...

ACN supported the construction of a new floor for a kindergarten in Enishke, allowing it to expand its services, receive more children from families in the surrounding villages, including Kurds and Yazidis, and help sow the seeds of peace and fraternity for future generations.  The Enishke village is located in the Diocese of Dohuk, in a mountainous region of Iraqi Kurdistan in northern Iraq.   Christian, Kurdish, and Yazidi families live in the many settlements around Enishke, struggling to survive in ...

The Archdiocese of Baalbek-Deir El-Ahmar in the Beqaa Valley, in eastern Lebanon, is suffering a major humanitarian and security crisis as a result of the daily Israeli bombardment. In an interview with ACN, Monsignor Hanna Rahmé describes the Church’s solidarity with internally displaced people and the disastrous situation that has led many to take refuge in Syria.  “Each of the Christian families in the villages around Deir El-Ahmar has welcomed three or four displaced families — that is, between 30 ...

A church sheltering displaced people was hit in a missile attack, killing at least eight in Derdghaya, southern Lebanon, on Wednesday, October 9th, according to local Church sources.  The sources told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the church and two of its adjoining halls, which were used as a refuge in the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Tyre, collapsed in the airstrike.  They added that another missile hit a priest’s house and a three-story building ...

As the bishop of Latin rite Catholics in Syria, the Franciscan Hanna Jallouf is very familiar with Idlib Governorate, the last rebel stronghold, where he served as a pastor for 22 years until his appointment as bishop in September 2023. In a conversation with an ACN delegation, he reports on the challenges for Christians who remained there. “Of the 10,000 or so Christians who lived in Idlib Governorate before the war, there are today only about 650, mainly older people ...