The newly approved projects cover a variety of fields, from direct economic and food support for poor families to scholarships. ACN will be paying for summer camps for children and the disabled and provide essential aid for the elderly and the sick, in a country where families earn around 21 dollars per month but need at least around 160 dollars to survive.

The devastating effects of the pandemic in many developing countries demanded a robust response from ACN, with COVID-related projects accounting $10.2M of the 2021 budget. India, which was particularly badly hit by the virus, tops the list in terms of total amount of funding projects, with over $12.7M.

"But then I heard a second loud noise, and I saw parishioners running in different directions in the church. I stood there in shock, wondering what was going on, when someone ran to me, yelling: 'Father, unknown gunmen!'

"Some of the speculation as to who did it sounds quite logical and fits in with the general situation of our country right now, such as the insecurity, political unrest, and the conflicts between Fulani herdsmen and farmers."

“This is the latest in the ongoing wave of brutal attacks on Nigeria’s Christians. Political and religious leaders around the world must condemn this barbarism and put pressure on Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari to do what it takes finally to stop the violence and protect the Nigerian people."

“It is Pentecost Sunday, a time every Catholic is expected to be in Church to commemorate the Solemnity. It is so sad to say that while the Holy Mass was going on, men of unknown origin, wielding guns, attacked St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church."