A gift to young pilgrims: The sacrament of confession as a way to conversion.  The Circus Maximus in Rome will be hosting one of the greatest catechetical initiatives of the Holy Year on August 1, during the Youth Jubilee, with the distribution of 10,000 free copies of a special edition of the “YOUCAT Confession” book. This initiative, organized by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need, in cooperation with the YOUCAT Foundation and the Dicastery for Evangelization, is ...

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has received a new and moving testimony from Gaza, following the July 17 attack on the Catholic Church of the Holy Family, which left three people dead and more than ten wounded. Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the local Catholic community, sent a message directly to the pontifical foundation, expressing his gratitude, but also his pain and unshakeable faith in the midst of the tragedy. “Here we are, after these terrible ...

At least 40 people, including many children, were killed in a massacre in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the early hours of Sunday, July 27. The attack took place in the east of the country, in the location of Komanda, Ituri. According to information gathered by pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the victims were killed by militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a terrorist group that has pledged loyalty to the Islamic State ...

The situation in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda, where fighting between different ethnic and religious communities has caused widespread bloodshed and suffering, remains dire. The attacks also affect Christian communities in the area.   Sources close to the charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) say that despite the serious risk, the Capuchin church of Jesus the King in the city of Suwayda has now become a shelter for some 250 people – between 60 and 70 families from ...

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International joyfully announces the release of Fr. Alphonsus Afina, a priest of the Diocese of Maiduguri, Nigeria, who had been abducted on June 1, 2025 by armed militants and spent 51 days in captivity. His release, along with ten women who were also held captive, was confirmed directly to ACN by local Church sources.  Speaking to ACN, Bishop John Bakeni, the Auxiliary Bishop of Maiduguri, Nigeria, expressed gratitude for the solidarity and prayers ...

Religious communities in Nigeria are facing ongoing, systematic, and egregious violations of their ability to practice their faith, says a US human rights monitor. A July 21 update from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) found that the Nigerian government’s enforcement of blasphemy laws and an increase in violent attacks by nonstate entities targeting religious communities “constitute significant restrictions on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB),” USCIRF’s new report stated. The report said that 12 Nigerian states ...