The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora has reported a violent overnight attack on St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, Nigeria, resulting in “the kidnapping of pupils, students, teachers, and school personnel, as well as a security guard who was badly shot.” According to the statement sent to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the armed assailants invaded the school premises between 1:00 A.M and 3:00 A.M. on November 21, causing “fear and distress within the ...

An estimated 128,000 people have had to flee the affected region, according to UN estimates. At least four Christians were murdered by jihadists in northern Mozambique over the past days, in the latest wave of attacks of an insurgency which began in 2017. Although the insurgency began in Cabo Delgado province, it also affects the province bordering Cabo Delgado to the south, Nampula, where the latest violence has taken place. The situation has been particularly dire in the district of ...

The attack represents “a major blow to the education of young girls, which is already quite rare in these parts of the country,” say local sources. The abduction of about 25 students from the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Kebbi, has plunged the community into deep shock. A local source consulted by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) explained that the attack caught residents off-guard, at a moment when violence in the ...

The west African nation has been classified as suffering from severe, systematic, and ongoing religious freedom violations. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has received an official communication from the Archdiocese of Kaduna, Nigeria, reporting the abduction of a priest following a violent attack on the community of Kushe Gugdu in the Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State. In the early hours of Monday, November 17, armed assailants attacked the residence of Fr. Bobbo Paschal, parish priest of ...

Over half a million people are expected to take part in ACN’s Red Week 2025, as more than 600 churches turn red for faith and freedom. From Vienna to Bogotá, Sydney to Paris, churches and landmarks across the globe will be bathed in red light this November as part of Red Week 2025, a global campaign organized by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) to shine a light — literally — on the plight of persecuted Christians, raise awareness ...

This year, the Church commemorated the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, an important anniversary for the entire Christian world. Later this month, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit Turkey, where the council was held, fulfilling the commitment made by Pope Francis before his death. Pope Leo plans to fly November 27 to Ankara, Turkey’s capital, where he will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials. The next day, in Istanbul, he will meet with bishops, ...