Crowds lined roads, despite the danger, to bid farewell to Fr. Crépin Martial Monga Father Crépin Martial Monga, vicar of the Catholic parish of St. John the Baptist in Zémio, in southeastern Central African Republic (CAR), was killed on Monday, June 29. Armed men allegedly gunned down the priest that evening. Details of the killing are scarce, but sources on the ground tell Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that there is no doubt that the killing was intentional. ...

Fr. Stephen Idoko knows firsthand how true, lived religious freedom can strengthen a society. As a Nigerian priest, Fr. Stephen Idoko was only too familiar with the problems that terrorists created for Christians in his country: Boko Haram, the kidnapping of the Chibok school girls, the ongoing Fulani attacks on Christian communities, and so on. But the news that reached Fr. Idoko on April 24, 2018, drove that reality home in a terrifying way. It was then that he learned ...

In one of the poorest and most densely populated communities in Caracas, the Church has mobilized to care for the wounded from La Guaira. ACN has approved an emergency aid package of $113,828 to support the Church’s response to the catastrophe. When Venezuela was struck by deadly earthquakes recently, Bishop Juan Carlos Bravo Salazar of Petare was in Merida, over 300 miles away. With all flights canceled, he had to embark on a 16-hour trip by land back to his ...

Denis Alaniz keeps a close eye on his homeland as he enjoys freedom and democracy in “home away from home.”As America celebrates its 250th birthday, the “inalienable rights” of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness acknowledged by the Declaration of Independence continue to inspire millions of would-be immigrants and refugees.Those rights — including religious liberty — are still denied to significant numbers of people living under oppressive regimes.Denis Alaniz is one of those refugees who has come to these shores ...

Iraq is no longer plagued by a jihadist group, but for Christians, evangelization is almost out of the question. Iraq is not the country it was in 2014, when the Islamic State group threatened Christians and other minorities as it sought to establish a caliphate. Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda, the Chaldean archbishop of Erbil in northern Iraq, said in an interview that his country is much more stable than it was a dozen years ago and that Christians are free ...

Archbishop Raúl Biord of Caracas says the Church is accompanying victims of the earthquakes while rescue efforts continue. As search and rescue efforts continue following the devastating earthquakes that shook Venezuela, the Church has begun to deal with the great challenge of accompanying a deeply traumatized population. “For those who survived, it was a miracle, but we lost many people,” says Archbishop Raúl Biord of Caracas, speaking to international charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). The magnitude of ...