Bishop Osório Citora Afonso was a friend and collaborator of ACN, and the foundation has expressed its deep sorrow in response to his death. Two days after the death of the Bishop of Quelimane in Mozambique, reactions continue to pour in, though an investigation has yet to discover suspects or possible motives. On Sunday, the Vatican press office released a statement from Pope Leo XIV, currently visiting Spain, which states that he “learned with deep sorrow of the grave act ...

Bishop Osório Citora Afonso, I.M.C., of Quelimane, Mozambique, was shot dead in the early hours of Saturday, June 6, and his body was found in a corridor of the episcopal residence. In an initial official statement sent to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the President of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique said that the prelate was found “lifeless and in strange circumstances that have yet to be clarified,” and appealed for “the serenity of faith and fraternal solidarity” ...

During the annual pilgrimage for persecuted Christians in Einsiedeln, the President of ACN International reflected on contemporary martyrdom, Christian unity, and the mission of the charity. Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of Aid to the Church in Need International (ACN), reaffirmed the foundation’s commitment to supporting persecuted and suffering Christians during the annual pilgrimage for persecuted Christians held at Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey, organized by ACN Switzerland. Reflecting on the reality of religious persecution in today’s world, Cardinal Koch stressed that martyrdom ...

“The families will be relieved and happy to hear that those who planned the abduction of their children have been arrested. This is truly good news,” says Bishop Bulus Yohanna. Bishop Bulus Yohanna of Kontagora, Nigeria has welcomed reports that security forces in Nigeria arrested individuals allegedly involved in the mass kidnapping that took place on November 21, 2025, at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri in the Diocese of Kontagora. A total of 265 students and staff members were ...

Villagers in Cabo Delgado used to be united despite their religious diversity, but lately, religion has become a dividing factor, reports Bishop António Juliasse. The jihadists who have been waging an insurgency in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, are trying to establish a caliphate in the image of the Islamic State, says Bishop António Juliasse of Pemba. In a message sent to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Juliasse said that “the signs are all there. ...

In a message to Paul III Nona, ACN’s executive president recalled the sufferings of the Chaldean faithful in Iraq, who “have been so often called to bear witness to their Christian faith in times of persecution and suffering.” The new Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church was officially installed on Friday, May 29, during a solemn ceremony in the Cathedral of St. Joseph, Baghdad, Iraq. Leaders of other Christian Churches, representatives from the Vatican, and Iraqi government figures were in ...