On visit to Venezuela, ACN executive president struck by generosity of spirit among those hit by June 24 earthquakes An impoverished population might have been down due to years of economic turmoil in Venezuela, but they are definitely not out, said Regina Lynch, executive president of Aid to the Church in Need. Lynch and a small team from ACN headquarters in Germany flew to Bogota, Colombia, and then to Valencia, Venezuela. The twin earthquakes that devastated the country June 24 ...

The Superior General of the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, who was due to return to Rome, speaks movingly about the faith displayed by the people amid tragedy. The double earthquake that struck Venezuela on June 24, claiming more than 3,000 lives and affecting thousands of families, has mobilized the Church throughout the country, as Caritas centers and many parishes become hubs of relief efforts, supported by numerous volunteers. The Superior General and a General Councilor of the Pious ...

Venezuelans are a people of faith and have a Church that is close to the population, giving much hope in face of tragedy, Regina Lynch says. The executive president of the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), will be travelling to Venezuela, following the tragic earthquakes that killed thousands of people. Regina Lynch will arrive in the country on Tuesday, July 7, to visit the dioceses most affected by the earthquakes, and to express the closeness of ...

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 ...