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News of the Suffering and Persecuted
Find the latest updates on the struggles and resilience of persecuted communities around the world. Stay connected to learn how hope continues to shine through suffering.
American kids double the number taking part in One Million Children Praying the Rosary
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About 22,000 American children took part in Aid to the Church in Need’s One Million Children Praying the Rosary initiative on Tuesday, more than double last year’s figure. It was the 20th anniversary of the ACN initiative, which began in 2005 as a small event in Venezuela. The inspiration originally came from a saying attributed to St. Pio of Pietrelcina (“Padre Pio”): “When a million children pray the Rosary, the world will change.” The initiative was given a boost Tuesday, ...
In Syria, a night of explosions and fear: “We don’t know what is going to happen,” priest tells ACN
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In the midst of a new wave of fighting, the Argentine priest describes hours of anguish in Aleppo, Syria. His parish has once again become a refuge for dozens of families. With the sound of loud explosions and heavy weapons in the background, Fr. Hugo Alaniz, who has been a missionary in Aleppo for over a decade, tells Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about one of the most difficult days that the city’s Christian community has experienced in ...
New York priest who served at the Vatican appointed ACN’s Ecclesiastical Assistant
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Aid to the Church in Need-USA, a pontifical foundation that helps Christians around the world live their faith under the most difficult circumstances, has appointed Msgr. Luke M. Sweeney, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, to serve as its ecclesiastical assistant. Msgr. Sweeney, who formerly served at the Vatican Congregation for Bishops, now is Vice Rector and Dean of Seminarians at St. Joseph’s Seminary (Dunwoodie) in Yonkers, New York. He is responsible for the human formation of seminarians ...
Why religious freedom is so important, according to editor of new report
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Wherever religious freedom flourishes, peace and justice advance. But wherever it is denied, oppression follows. That’s why Aid to the Church in Need’s Religious Freedom in the World Report is much more than a compilation of statistics. It is a wakeup call. So says Marta Petrosillo, editor-in-chief of the report, due to be released October 21. ACN has been publishing the biannual Religious Freedom in the World Report for the past quarter century. It details the state of religious freedom ...
Rome to host official launch of Religious Freedom Report 2025
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On October 21, religious and public leaders will gather at the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome for the worldwide presentation of the latest edition of the Report on Religious Freedom (RFR) 2025, prepared by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). The program will include the participation of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, who will deliver the inaugural address. Victims of religious persecution will also give first-hand testimonies, including two women who spent years ...
Papal envoy carries solidarity to the Christians of war-torn Sudan
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Archbishop Séamus Patrick Horgan, Apostolic Nuncio to South Sudan, has just completed a diplomatic mission through the places in the region most badly affected by the current civil war in Sudan. Over several days, the archbishop expressed Pope Leo’s solidarity and closeness with the Christian community, which has struggled to keep its faith in the midst of the conflict. Speaking to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Fr. Jorge Naranjo, a Spanish missionary with a long track ...
