The Voice of the suffering in Middle East

Harshly persecuted for her faith, Sofia ended up finding solace in God and the strength to forgive those who drove her from her country and nearly killed her several times. On August 6, 2014, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians had to leave everything behind and escape their homeland, as terrorists from the Islamic State overran their villages and towns in the Nineveh Plain. Among them was Sofia, who was just a 12-year-old girl at the time. Gripped with fear ...

In a joint statement, the Latin Catholic and Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Jerusalem call on both parties to end hostilities and allow families on both sides to begin to heal the wounds of war.  Both the Catholic and the Greek Orthodox clergy and religious in Gaza will stay in their respective compounds, to care for all those who wish to remain despite recent evacuation orders, as Israel undertakes a ground offensive to control Gaza City.  In their joint statement, published ...

From kindergartens to universities, many students are receiving an education, thanks to ACN-funded programs in crisis-hit countries around the world, where Christian communities are in danger of extinction.  As a new school year begins in many parts of the world, thousands of children in Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Syria, Lebanon, and other crisis-hit countries face great obstacles to returning to the classroom. For them, schooling is often made possible by the support of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).   In ...

For many children from poor or war-stricken communities, the summer camps and other activities are an opportunity to have fun and grow in the faith in a secure environment, accompanied by religious and Church animators. Almost 100,000 children this summer are benefiting from summer camps and other activities funded by pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). For many years, ACN has helped local dioceses and Christian organizations set up and run camps for young people, especially those ...

Five years have passed since one of the most devastating moments in Lebanon’s recent history—the Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020. The blast killed over 200 people, injured more than 7,000, and left entire neighborhoods in ruins. Around 300,000 people were left homeless. Yet amid the trauma and hardship, many Lebanese cling to faith, demonstrating their resilience. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) spoke to four Lebanese Christians about how their lives have changed since that day, and ...

Church leaders have denounced new violent attacks on the last all-Christian town in the West Bank.  Extremist settlers entered the Palestinian town of Taybeh, to the east of Ramallah, on July 28, torching cars and spraying hostile graffiti.  The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches put out a statement on July 29, expressing their “profound concern” over what they say are recurring incidents. They said, “Several vehicles were set ablaze, and hateful graffiti was sprayed – an unambiguous act of intimidation ...