The Bishop of Kaya in Burkina Faso calls for a day of mourning and for three days of prayer for the victims.  On August 24th, the town of Barsalogho in Burkina Faso was the target of a terrorist attack that killed more than 150 people, including 22 Christians, according to local sources in contact with the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). This was the third attack this month and one of the bloodiest in the ...

After a thrilling trip to seven dioceses in Chile, Rafael D’Aqui, project coordinator for Latin America at Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), describes how the Church is light and hope in a time of challenge and need.  You have just returned from Chile. Could you describe the main needs of the Christians there?  The Church in Chile faces a variety of challenges. In the region of Araucania, for example, there have been a number of violent acts in ...

Shagufta Kausar was falsely accused of blasphemy. For almost eight years, she was separated from her family; her husband was beaten and tortured; and they were pressured to convert to Islam. Now free, she tells Aid to the Church in Need how she found strength in her faith.  Mrs. Kausar, you were unjustly accused of blasphemy and, despite being innocent, spent almost eight years in a Pakistani jail. You’ve finally been released. What is it like to be a Christian ...

The number of people imprisoned for blasphemy in Pakistan has surged to more than 700. A woman who spent seven years on death row for the crime says that the country’s legal system is failing Christians.  Christians falsely accused of blasphemy in Pakistan struggle to find lawyers and are discriminated against in the justice system, says Shagufta Kausar, a mother of four who was imprisoned for allegedly sending text messages insulting the Muslim Prophet Mohammed, despite being illiterate and not ...

The war in Gaza shows no sign of stopping, and the Church in the Holy Land is increasing help to preserve the region’s Christian presence, supporting hundreds of families who have lost their livelihoods. The Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has stepped up its support for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem – which includes the Palestinian territories – providing emergency help, food, housing, school fees, and medical assistance to more than 600 Christian families.  Most Christians ...

ACN continues to help Christian communities survive in Israel and Palestine, supporting projects developed by the local Church to overcome the difficulties resulting from the war.  With the outbreak of the war on October 7th, the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) stepped up its support for Christian communities in the Holy Land. Currently, ACN directly supports 602 families through the provision of food coupons; 128 families with the payment of expenses, including utilities; and 122 individuals ...