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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.
First Sunday of Peace in Gaza: Christians Pray for Forgiveness and Rebuilding
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For the first time since the war began, the faithful of Holy Family Parish in Gaza gathered on Sunday in silence — no bombs, no sirens, only prayer. Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, an Argentine-born missionary and parish priest of the Holy Family Church, called on his faithful to “forgive all those who have failed and ask forgiveness for our own shortcomings,” as he led a Mass filled with hope and thanksgiving. “The long-awaited day has come to begin the implementation of ...
Address of Pope Leo XIV to Aid to the Church in Need International
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Pope Leo XIV received in a private audience leaders of Aid to the Church in Need International, as well as several directors of ACN’s national offices around the world, including ACN-USA. His address to the October 10, 2025 audience at the Vatican is reprinted here. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you! Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I am pleased to greet you, dear members of Aid ...
Pope Leo XIV calls for renewed commitment to defend religious freedom and stand with persecuted Christians
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Holy Father receives Aid to the Church in Need in private audience This morning, October 10, Pope Leo XIV received pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International in a private audience at the Vatican, marking 25 years of the foundation’s continued mission to defend the right to religious freedom and to give a voice to Christians who suffer for their faith around the world. During the audience, the Holy Father addressed the members of the foundation with ...
Gaza: First step toward peace after 733 days of war
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While indirect talks are taking place in Egypt between Israeli envoys and Hamas, the hope for a beginning of peace is cautiously laying roots in the Holy Land. The parish priest of the Catholic parish in Gaza spoke to Aid to Church in Need (ACN) about the heavy toll from two years of war. “Two years of war: it seems unbelievable,” Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of Holy Family parish, the only Catholic parish in Gaza City, told Aid to the ...
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 ...
