The return of war to the Middle East has reopened old wounds, and many Christians are again contemplating leaving the region. A drone strike last Wednesday, March 4, damaged Church-owned buildings in Ankawa, the Christian-majority district of Erbil in northern Iraq, raising fears among local Christians about their future in the region amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. “When war erupts in the Middle East, we face another erosion, fast or slow. Do we stay? Do our children have ...

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom details worrying trends in Nigeria, Middle East, Indian subcontinent, and even in the West. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the independent, nonpartisan panel that advises the U.S. government, is recommending the redesignation of 13 “Countries of Particular Concern and designating five additional countries be added to that list. The nations now on the list of CPCs are Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and ...

In times of war, it is always the marginalized who suffer the most, said a Catholic bishop in northern Iraq. Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of the Archdiocese of Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan issued a statement following a drone strike on a Catholic facility in the Christian part of Erbil. At about 8 p.m. on March 4, the Blessed Michael McGivney Apartment complex in Ankawa, Erbil, was struck by an apparent drone attack. The complex is owned by the Chaldean ...

Since the beginning of airstrikes against Iran, ACN has remained in contact with project partners in the region, assessing the need for emergency assistance. Nearly 30,000 people have been displaced following a wave of overnight airstrikes that hit Lebanon on Monday, March 2, according to figures released by the Lebanese government. The attacks shattered the fragile calm that had held in recent months. The strikes were carried out by Israel as a response to attacks by the militant group Hezbollah ...

As tensions rise once again across the Middle East, the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) warns that a further escalation of violence could have devastating consequences for Christian communities throughout the region “The Christian presence in the Middle East must not die out,” said Regina Lynch, Executive President of ACN International. “A new spiral of violence could push already fragile communities beyond the point of survival.” Even in countries like Iran where Christians face discrimination ...

The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Leo XIV will visit Algeria, making this the country’s first-ever visit from a current pope. Leo, an Augustinian by formation, will visit Algiers and Hippo Regius – the historical name of Annaba – following in the footsteps of St. Augustine. In this interview with Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Michel Jean-Paul Guillaud of Constantine-Hippone speaks about expectations for the visit and how the Church endures in the mostly Muslim nation of Algeria. ...