“Cuba needs reforms, and these are increasingly urgent, but what it does not need is more anguish and pain. No more loss of life or mourning within Cuban families,” say the island’s bishops. During the recitation of the Angelus on Sunday, February 1, Pope Leo said he has been following “the troubling news regarding an increase in tensions between Cuba and the United States of America.” Leo XIV referred to the message published by the Cuban bishops following the announcement ...

Abduction remains a major problem in parts of Africa. Fewer priests were arrested or kidnapped in 2025 compared to 2024, but the numbers remain worrying in many parts of the world according to data collected by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). A total of 28 priests and religious were under arrest or otherwise deprived of freedom around the world, compared to 72 the year before. For the purposes of this analysis, only arrests that can ...

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 ...

Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is first guest on series of broadcasts about Christians suffering for their faith. The Christians of Ukraine are practicing an “existential ecumenism” amid an ongoing siege from the country’s longtime nemesis, said the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Christians are “united in our response to save human lives — cooperating, helping each other,” says His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, in an interview with Dr. Robert Royal, president of the Faith & Reason ...

The legal outcome shows a “positive and rare” development, since local courts are often reluctant to acquit those accused of blasphemy, due to social pressure. Two Christian nurses in Pakistan have been acquitted of blasphemy in a landmark court ruling, which brings an end to an ordeal of more than four and a half years. Mariam Lal and Newosh Arooj’s legal defense was conducted by the National (Catholic) Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), which is supported by Aid to ...

The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is repeating its annual “24 Hours of Prayer for Peace in Myanmar” initiative on February 1. On this date, which marks the fifth anniversary of the beginning of an increasingly violent conflict in the country, ACN invites people around the world to join in prayer as a sign of solidarity with the local Church and with all those who continue to suffer. “Once again, we want to come together ...