Father José Luis de Menezes speaks to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about the origins of the Fazendas da Esperança, or Farms of Hope, a network of rehabilitation centers supported by ACN. “Our communities are dedicated to salvaging the dignity of people who have been lost to addiction,” said Father José Luís de Menezes, during his visit to the international headquarters of Aid to the Church in Need. Throughout his conversation with ACN, the Brazilian priest repeated the ...

The Archdiocese of Baalbek-Deir El-Ahmar in the Beqaa Valley, in eastern Lebanon, is suffering a major humanitarian and security crisis as a result of the daily Israeli bombardment. In an interview with ACN, Monsignor Hanna Rahmé describes the Church’s solidarity with internally displaced people and the disastrous situation that has led many to take refuge in Syria.  “Each of the Christian families in the villages around Deir El-Ahmar has welcomed three or four displaced families — that is, between 30 ...

Christian persecution is widely ignored, according to a Catholic archbishop in London, who says it is the duty of all followers of Christ to stand in solidarity with those suffer for their faith.   Speaking with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) as part of its Break the Silence podcast series, Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark said that “it is a sadness that the persecution of Christians around the world is a subject that rarely gets the attention ...

In early October, terrorists killed at least 150 people, including many Christians, in northeastern Burkina Faso, revealing their increasing brutality and determination to spread terror in a country where insurgents now control over half of the territory.   On Sunday, October 6th, a new terrorist attack took place in the town of Manni, in the East Region of Burkina Faso. Various local sources told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the death toll exceeded 150. The town is home ...

Hundreds of thousands of children from several countries, including those which are suffering from conflicts, such as Ukraine, Lebanon and the Holy Land, or those where Christian persecution remains fierce, such as Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Cameroon, have confirmed they will be participating in the “One Million Children Praying the Rosary” prayer campaign, organized by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). The Holy Father also made reference to the initiative this Sunday, during the Angelus prayer, saying: “Next Friday, ...

A church sheltering displaced people was hit in a missile attack, killing at least eight in Derdghaya, southern Lebanon, on Wednesday, October 9th, according to local Church sources.  The sources told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the church and two of its adjoining halls, which were used as a refuge in the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Tyre, collapsed in the airstrike.  They added that another missile hit a priest’s house and a three-story building ...