Following her recent visit to the Holy Land, Regina Lynch speaks about the challenges facing local Christian communities, the importance of supporting their livelihoods and faith, and why Christians around the world should not forget the land where the faith was born. You returned from Holy Land just a few days ago. What made the strongest impression on you during your visit? What really brought the situation home to me was meeting Christian families in Bethlehem and in the Old ...

The Catholic Church in Ethiopia has renewed its appeal for peace and the protection of civilians. At least 60 people, including elderly people and children, were reportedly killed in attacks on Orthodox Christian communities in Oromia, amid renewed violence and growing fears of further instability in Ethiopia. The attacks took place on October 20 in Merti district, and on October 24 in Shirka district, both in the Arsi area of Oromia. According to media reports, the attack in Shirka was ...

Conditions for Christians worsened in almost 56% of the 18 countries examined over the past two years, and none recorded an overall improvement, according to a new report from the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). The report finds that extremist violence, authoritarian governments and religious nationalism are placing increasing pressure on Christian communities, while conflict is driving many from their homes in parts of Africa and Asia. The report, “Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians ...

In a new pastoral exhortation, the bishops state that Venezuela is going through “one of the most complex periods in its history” and highlight “the urgent need for the comprehensive reconstruction of the nation.” The bishops of Venezuela have called for free and transparent elections, independence for the country’s main electoral and judicial institutions, and the repeal of laws restricting the activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In a pastoral exhortation published on Oct. 23, at the end of the 126th ...

An attack by armed criminals on a Church in Jordan has left at least nine people dead and over 30 wounded. The attack took place on Friday, October 23, in Karak, southern Jordan. Around 250 Christians were gathered in and outside the church for a funeral when armed men arrived and began shooting at parishioners, according to the testimony of survivors. In a statement sent to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Fr. Rif’at, a Jordanian Catholic priest, said ...

Church leaders in Jerusalem have condemned “heinous” attacks by masked Israeli settlers against residents of the West Bank’s last entirely Christian village, as well as foreign diplomats visiting the area.  The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem (PHCJ) issued the statement following attacks in and around Taybeh on October 16 and 17, when local residents were gathering olives during the annual harvest. In their statement, the Church leaders said: “In the past weeks, the Palestinian villages of the ...