The laypeople keep the Church alive. They are true heroes, the guardians of the faith in their communities, because there are hardly any priests or religious around.

"I have never encountered a charity that is so professionally organized on the one hand, and on the other, has so many people who are burning for the Kingdom of God. "

“Despite the fact that we are experiencing a moment of joy, faith, and sharing, we must not forget the places where the Church is persecuted,” said Catarina Martins de Bettencourt, director of ACN Portugal."

Sanctions in addition to the mass emigration of young people facing low salaries and few jobs, make it increasingly likely that the political and military events of recent years will lead to the gradual disappearance of Christians in the Middle East.

The key to achieving a vibrant Church is through formation, which begins at an early age in the DRC. The Church plays a prominent role in providing education and preventing young people from becoming involved in gang violence and the several militias fighting in conflict areas.

"Diocesan buildings have been turned into places of shelter, and “almost half of Roman Catholic families in the region have housed IDPs in their own homes,” Bishop Mykola Petro Luchok told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)."