All the bishops and priests in Ukraine are very grateful for the help provided by ACN, he said. “And we are especially grateful for your prayers, because these prayers reach God, our Father. This is the most important help that we are receiving from you.”

The Turks justify this intervention by saying that it is to protect their borders, to a depth of 20 miles along northern Syria. They want to prevent the establishment of a Kurdish state by the PKK, which is threatening the Turkish state and could prepare attacks on their country.

In contemplating the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we find light, strength, courage and comfort in these exceptional times. Like us, she experienced great changes from her youth. With an open heart she accepted the upheavals in her life: contradictions, mystery, incomprehension. She was open to hearing the voice of the Spirit. She was adaptable and receptive, to give flesh to Jesus. Her heart and her eyes are directed towards Him.

Then the Lebanese financial crisis hit, and the local currency began to crash. In a short time, the pound diminished in value around 20 times, but prices of most goods, including fuel, stayed the same, or even rose. Unable to afford fuel, Salim had to return his car and leave the taxi business.

Kaczmarek believes that “recent Russian drone attacks are not targeting strategic military objectives,”, but are instead “making the daily lives of Ukrainians more difficult,” and also making it “impossible to survive the winter in these places.”

Red Week traces its roots to Brazil in 2015, when the local ACN office had the Christ the Redeemer monument lit in red to mark the persecution of Christians in Iraq. In April 2016, inspired by the same idea, ACN Italy illuminated the Fontana di Trevi. ACN UK took the idea further and created #RedWednesday to commemorate all persecuted Christians on a specific Wednesday in November, and this was later expanded to a whole week in many countries.