The number of priests and religious kidnapped increased in 2024, while the number arrested for reasons of persecution diminished. In total, ACN registered 122 cases impacting priests and religious, including 13 murders, 38 kidnappings, and 71 held under arrest. Ten of these incidents involved women, eight of whom were kidnapped and two arrested.  More Catholic priests and religious were kidnapped in 2024 than in 2023, according to data collected by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). ...

Father Marcelo Oliveira accuses neighboring countries of instigating the violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where rebel groups did not even respect a Christmas truce. Christmas was a difficult time for the people of North Kivu, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They have been filled with constant fear and anguish because of armed groups that are active near the border with Rwanda. In a message to Aid to the ...

The Diocese of Maroua-Mokolo in the extreme north of Cameroon has suffered sporadic attacks from Boko Haram. Monsignor Bruno Ateba tells Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about his hope for the future through spiritual and educational formation programs, especially for young people and families. He also explains the importance of translating the Bible into Mafa, a powerful tool to strengthen the faith of a majority Christian tribe.   Since 2013, your Diocese of Maroua-Mokolo, on the border with Nigeria, ...

Two religious sisters, Vincentia Nwankwo and Grace Okoli, were abducted last Tuesday, January 7th, in Anambra State, in southeastern Nigeria. They belong to the congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ, which has appealed to all the faithful, through a statement sent to Aid to the Church in Need International, to pray for their “unconditional release.”  Sister Vincentia María, the principal of Archbishop Charles Heerey Memorial Model Secondary School Ufuma, and Sister Grace Mariette, ...

The tragic death of Suleman Masih, a 24-year-old Christian, has shocked the local community and once again highlighted the challenges faced by Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan. Suleman was attacked on December 29th, 2024 in Kot Saadullah, Rahawali, Gujranwala, and succumbed to his injuries on January 1st, 2025.  According to information provided to the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) by the Pakistani priest, Father Lazar Aslam, OFM, Suleman Masih was a very hardworking and ...

Just over a year after extremists murdered more than 300 people in coordinated attacks on Christian villages in Plateau State, Nigeria, the faithful gathered for a special Mass to remember the victims last Sunday, January 5th.  Bishop Michael Gobal Gokum of Pankshin celebrated the Epiphany Mass at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Bokkos for all those killed in their homes and on their farms on Christmas Eve 2023. Father Andrew Dewan, director of communications in Pankshin Diocese, told ...