The holiday camps, which are hosted in regions afflicted by war and conflict, offer temporary relief to suffering youth; participants can engage in carefree activities and develop their faith. ACN project partners report that for many young people, these camps are the most anticipated event of the year.  This year, there are more than 1,600 youth summer camps in 18 countries ─ from Egypt and Jordan to Iraq, Georgia, and Kazakhstan – thanks to funding by Aid to the Church ...

After being accused of blasphemy, a Christian mother of two was cornered in a field in Pakistan and beaten by a mob.  Saima Farhad Gill, who is also a widow and lives in a village near Gojra, was saved by police and taken into custody. She was charged under Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws.  Saima’s neighbors claimed that they had found documents bearing the name of her daughter, Emma, age 9; allegedly among the documents were ripped pages of the Qur’an. An ...

The Holy Land’s Christians have suffered a “disturbing rise” in attacks, including spitting, physical harassment, damage to property and cemeteries, and the disruption of services.  The findings are part of a report by the Jerusalem-based Rossing Center, called “Attacks on Christians in Israel and East Jerusalem,” which examined the increase in hostilities toward Churches and their members in 2023.  Speaking to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Hana Bendcowsky from the Rossing Center categorized the problems faced by ...

As war rages on in the Gaza Strip, Christians in the West Bank and Jerusalem find themselves in an increasingly desperate situation. Reinhard Backes, the Middle East Project Consultant for international pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), reports on a trip to the Holy Land in July 2024, during which he and an ACN delegation met the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and many other local Christians.  ACN is standing with people in the Holy ...

Thanks to support from ACN, three members of the Missionaries of Saint Mary of Guadalupe are committed to serving indigenous communities in remote and forgotten regions.   “I don’t mind busting my sandals, Lord, in order to follow you and serve you,” says Sister Aura Marina López, one of the three Missionary Sisters of Saint Mary of Guadalupe, who work in Guatemala. And the fact is that these religious sisters do trek very long distances on unpaved roads to meet the ...

Plagued by gangs that plunder, kidnap, and terrorize, Haiti fights for its survival every day. In the midst of this violence, the Church remains a beacon of hope for the country, says Father Baudelarie Martial, a Haitian priest from the Congregation of the Holy Cross, who visited ACN’s international headquarters.  Gangs control about 80 percent of the capital and the main roads. What is the situation in Port-au-Prince in terms of security?  The situation in Port-au-Prince is unacceptable, intolerable, and ...