The Voice of the suffering in Middle East

Through its support for a construction project in Iraqi Kurdistan, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has helped a religious order to strengthen its roots in the region, for the benefit of all Christians in Iraq.   Araden is a small village in the Sapna Valley, in Iraqi Kurdistan, surrounded by the beautiful Gozaneh mountains and watered by the Great Zab River. The scenery helps explain the origin of the village’s name” it is believed that Araden comes from the Syriac terms “ara” and “Aden,” meaning “Land of Eden.”  Traditionally, the village has been inhabited almost exclusively by Aramaic-speaking ...

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 in the Holy Land work in the tourism sector and have lost their source of income, because almost all ...

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 with medical support. This is in addition to the job creation program and other projects.   The pontifical charity visited ...

Despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Father Gabriel Romanelli is working to create a sense of normalcy through education. The parish priest of the Holy Family Church in Gaza City has made it a priority to ensure that children in the community continue to receive “remedial” schooling.  It has been more than ten months since the start of the war in Gaza. The few Christians who remain in the territory are exhausted and traumatized.   “The situation is bad, very bad, in all of the Gaza Strip, but especially in Gaza City,” said Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the Holy ...

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 Christians in the region as either “smash” or “squeeze,” terms used by human rights observers.   “The ‘smash’ describes incidents ...

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 Land and showing solidarity through trips to the affected areas. Which places did you visit during your latest stay ...