The Voice of the suffering in Middle East

In 2015, the then-Archbishop of Mosul left for Australia after his entire flock was exiled, following the rise of the Islamic State. One decade later, he returns to Iraq, now as the newly elected Patriarch of the Chaldean Church. On May 29, His Beatitude Amel Shamon Nona will be officially installed at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Baghdad. Before returning to Iraq to lead the Chaldean Catholic Church, the newly elected Patriarch spoke with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) ...

In an address to representatives of Aid to the Church in Need, Benedictine Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel offered a stark and personal account of the fragile and rapidly shrinking Christian presence in the Holy Land. The image of Jerusalem as a vibrant heart of Christianity contrasts sharply with the reality experienced today by the faithful. In a powerful address to the national directors and representatives of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Benedictine Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel offered a stark portrait ...

People are feeling “scared, angry and sad” after more than 100 bombs fell across Beirut in a single night shattering any remaining sense of safety for those who remain living in their homes, an aid worker has said. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a massive wave of strikes on Beirut on April 8, killing at least 254 people and injuring more than 2,000. Following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire with Iran on April 7, Israel’s prime minister, ...

Faced with the pending withdrawal of the Lebanese Army from the south of the country, Christians who are attached to their land have expressed their concern about the future. Four Christian municipalities in southern Lebanon – Alma Sha’b, Rmeich, Debel, and Aïn Ebel – expressed their “deep concern” regarding the beginning of the Lebanese Army’s withdrawal from a number of border localities, which could have “serious security repercussions.” The signatories of a March 31 statement are determined to remain on ...

ACN expresses concern over Palm Sunday restrictions in Jerusalem, Syria, and Gaza, and conveys its support for Christians in the Holy Land. The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) expresses deep concern over events that took place during Palm Sunday celebrations on March 29, 2026 in Jerusalem, Gaza, and Syria, where Christian communities marked the day amid tension, restrictions, and insecurity. In Jerusalem, Israeli police prevented His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, as ...

Holy Week has begun against a backdrop of persistent war and shortages in the Catholic compound in Gaza. Despite everything, the community intends to celebrate Easter to the full, sustained by a prayer for peace throughout the Middle East, as Fr. Gabriel Romanelli explained to the Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). As the Feast of the Resurrection approaches, nothing is entirely certain regarding the form of the various celebrations that will take place within the Holy Family ...