The Voice of the suffering in Middle East

As tensions rise once again across the Middle East, the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) warns that a further escalation of violence could have devastating consequences for Christian communities throughout the region “The Christian presence in the Middle East must not die out,” said Regina Lynch, Executive President of ACN International. “A new spiral of violence could push already fragile communities beyond the point of survival.” Even in countries like Iran where Christians face discrimination ...

Although the media attention has died down since the ceasefire, the Gaza Strip continues to sink into an unprecedented humanitarian and health crisis. Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Gaza’s Catholic priest, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, described the “very serious” conditions marked by the daily suffering of the population. “The situation continues to be very serious in the whole of the Gaza Strip,” says the Catholic parish priest of Gaza, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, while also issuing an urgent ...

ACN is committed to helping rebuild the homes and lives of the Christian community in Syria. Violence in Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, has subsided following the withdrawal of forces from the Kurdish-led coalition, which were occupying two neighborhoods in defiance of government forces. Although neither of the parties of the conflict had any issue with the Christian community, many Christians lost their homes and belongings in the fighting, according to Marielle Boutros, who heads the Aid to the Church ...

Civilians are once again the main victims as the Kurdish-led SDF and forces loyal to the government in Damascus, Syria try to take control of the country’s second most important city. The Church has opened the doors of its buildings to displaced families. Christians in Aleppo, Syria are calling for prayers from the international community as violence returns to the city. Government forces and members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led coalition based in northeast Syria, have been ...

As Christmas approaches, the priest of the only Catholic parish in Gaza, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, tells Aid to the Church in Need that his community is attempting to keep the “flame of hope” alive, and thanks benefactors for the material and spiritual support they provide to the Holy Land. “Our situation is better than a month and a half ago, when the ceasefire began, but this does not mean that things are well. They remain very serious, very delicate,” says ...

The Catholic parish in Gaza prepares for Christmas during an unstable ceasefire. From the heart of the devastated city, the pastor describes a disastrous sanitary situation and a daily routine marked by a scarcity of means for rebuilding. Christmas is drawing near in the land of Christ’s birth, but preparations are taking place in an atmosphere of disquiet. “The world should know that there are over 2 million people here who have nothing and need everything,” warns Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, ...