In an address to representatives of Aid to the Church in Need, Benedictine Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel offered a stark and personal account of the fragile and rapidly shrinking Christian presence in the Holy Land. The image of Jerusalem as a vibrant heart of Christianity contrasts sharply with the reality experienced today by the faithful. In a powerful address to the national directors and representatives of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Benedictine Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel offered a stark portrait ...

The local Church hopes that there will be a “before and an after” this visit, which comes over four decades after the last. The Church in Equatorial Guinea is in a state of deep hope and spiritual preparation for the upcoming visit of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, a historic event which coincides with the celebrations of the 170th anniversary of the first evangelization in the country, in 1855. Over 40 years after Pope St. John Paul II’s visit, the ...

Peace is more than the absence of war, say Angolan bishops as Pope Leo visits. Pope Leo XIV will visit Angola on April 18, as part of a trip to Africa which includes Algeria, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea. Angola is a land of paradox. Like so many African nations, it is wealthy in natural resources, but over 30% of its population lives in extreme poverty. The Angolan Catholic Bishops’ Conference in July 2025 denounced “the scandal of hunger” and the ...

After Pope Leo XIV’s historic visit to Algeria, it’s worth asking, “Do Christians there actually have religious liberty?” says a Turkish journalist in a new ACN podcast. Algeria is one of the most oppressive countries today for Christians and other non-Muslims, says Uzay Bulut, in a podcast hosted by Dr. Robert Royal, president of the Faith & Reason Institute. Bulut is a Turkey-born journalist formerly based in Ankara. She focuses on Turkey, political Islam, and the history of the Middle ...

Aid to the Church in Need, a Catholic charity serving the pastoral needs of the suffering and persecuted Church since 1947, is pleased to have assisted Bishop Robert Barron in the publication of What Do Their Deaths Demand? Christian Persecution Today. The book, which highlights the persecution of Christians around the world in the 21st Century, was published April 14 by Word on Fire Publishing (WOFP). Bishop Barron is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and bishop of ...

As Pope Leo XIV prepares to visit Cameroon on April 15 and 16, Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) interviewed Bishop Emmanuel Dassi of Bafia about the reality of the local Church in Cameroon, its social and political role, and the challenges facing the country – particularly in the Anglophone region, which is marked by conflict. Speaking to ACN, the Cameroonian bishop stated that Pope Leo’s visit could be a sign of peace and highlighted the growth ...