Since 2015, Burkina Faso, which is around 25 percent Christian, has become a hotbed of violent Islamist extremism. Since 2019, in particular, priests, religious, and faithful have been increasingly targeted by terrorists. The Christmas campaign of the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) will focus this year on Christians in this West African country, who are subjected to bloody violence on a daily basis, as well as the heroic work of the Catholic Church, which tirelessly ...

The YOUCAT Foundation, based in Königstein, Germany, has announced the appointment of Rafael D’Aqui to the position of Executive Director and Head of Outreach. Two additional key appointments to YOUCAT’s leadership team were also announced: Father Joachim Moernaut, FSO, the new Ecclesiastical Assistant, and Elisabeth Bauer, who will oversee communication and social media.   Rafael D’Aqui, an experienced Brazilian missionary and catechist, and a former head of section for the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), with 15 ...

Kinga Schierstaedt, project coordinator for Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Africa, traveled to the landlocked African nation of South Sudan. Bordering the Republic of Sudan, its larger neighbor to the north, South Sudan has suffered terribly from conflict and civil war in recent years. After returning from her trip, Schierstaedt spoke about the current situation in the country and the role played there by the Church.    South Sudan only gained independence from Sudan in 2011 and has ...

Two Albanian martyrs, Father Luigi Paliq and Father Gjon Gazulli, were declared blessed by the Catholic Church, during a ceremony held on Saturday, November 16th, in the city of Shkodër. “These two men were libeled and unjustly harassed, but their witness of forgiveness and love in the face of their persecutors made them examples of holiness,” says Magda Kaczmarek, project director for Eastern Europe at Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).    Kaczmarek and two other members of the international ...

Catholics in the West African nation of Guinea-Bissau held a day of prayer and fasting for peace in the troubled country.   Guinea-Bissau never quite achieved stability following its independence from Portugal in 1975, and division and conflict continue to affect the nation today, fueled largely by rampant corruption and money from the drug trade.   The day of prayer and fasting culminated in two eucharistic celebrations, during which Church leaders called on political authorities to listen to the concerns of the ...

A Nigerian bishop committed to helping families who have fled some of the country’s worst persecution and conflict marks the anniversary of his ordination with a heartfelt message of thanks to a leading Catholic charity.   In the decade since his episcopal ordination, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi has witnessed an explosion in the number of displaced families escaping extremists, including Fulani herdsmen who have seized vast swathes of lands, forcing entire communities to flee their homes.  In response, the bishop ...