Keeping the Faith Alive
EN | ES

The Voice of the suffering and persecuted​

Amazon synod: ‘Indigenous peoples have had God with them for a long time’

category
"We are going to have to ask for many prayers so that we can have the gift of discernment. We have considered the reality of the situation in Amazonia and have listened to the clamor of its peoples, who are expressing their unhappiness. Above all we will be listening to what the Holy Spirit wishes to say to the Churches in the Amazon region."

Church in India won’t give up ‘fight for equality, justice and fraternity’

category
“We are not going to give up the fight for equality, justice and fraternity. We hope that Hindus and Christians will soon become more tolerant of each other and that the readiness to use violence will decline throughout the country."

In Pakistan, education holds the key for Christian social advancement

category
"Muslims believe that converting one person to Islam earns them eternal life. If an initial effort fails, people turn to kidnapping. Kidnappings and forced marriages are most common in rural areas, where people have little education."

Archbishop condemns kidnapping and forced conversions of underage Christian girls

category
He believes there is a religious aspect to the kidnappings, particularly as the girls are Hindu or Christian. Yet, the archbishop did not believe it was the only explanation. “It is lust. They think ‘she is pretty and I want her.’ It is a crime and it has a possible religious component too.”

Brother of kidnapped Niger priest still hopes for reunion

category
The missionary said that he is living this first anniversary of his brother’s abduction “in a state of mind that cannot be put into words,” in a state of mind that cannot be understood except by someone who has “experienced this reality in his own flesh.”

In Burkina Faso, Islamists are ‘sowing terror,’ brutally targeting Christians

category
"Many of the residents fled, while those who remained had to witness the terrorists assassinating three people, including a community leader named Jean-Paul who had chosen to stay on as leader and to organize prayer groups.”

Pope blesses Marian icon in support of campaign for Christians in Syria

category
At Mass and during processions, the faithful’s prayers went out to those who were killed or abducted during the war and to their families. Some 2000 Christian families in Syria have lost one or more loved ones during the conflict and 800 families had a family member abducted.

In Pakistan, human traffickers prey on Christian girls

category
“I quickly noticed that something was seriously wrong. Though the matchmaker had told me that my husband was a Christian, I never saw him praying or reading the Bible. He didn’t provide money for meals, and he often beat me. He even confessed that he had only pretended to be Christian in order to get me to marry him."

Diocese in Cameroon is hard hit by violence triggered by country’s political crisis

category
ACN’s sources report that state security forces have entered Catholic medical centers with firearms in search of suspected pro-independence fighters undergoing treatment.

ACN calls on children around the world to pray for peace and unity

category
“It has truly become a prayer campaign of the World Church, which not only moves the hearts of children, but also those of adults and blazes a trail to peace!”
Scroll to Top

Religious FREEDOM

IN THE WORLD

REPORT 2023

Executive Summary
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.