The Voice of the suffering and persecuted​

According to information collected by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Nigeria was the country with the highest number of victims, with four priests killed. Others who were murdered while carrying out their pastoral duties include three priests brutally killed in Mexico.

“The teaching of Pope Benedict, who dedicated his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est to the subject of charity, has been very valuable to ACN.”

Senegal is known for being one of western Africa’s most politically stable countries. However, there is an open conflict between the Senegalese military and the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MDFC) in the country’s southern Casamance region, which began 40 years ago.

Because of the danger of terrorism, the Church in norther Benin is restricted in the exercise of its pastoral work, ACN reports.

“I am married, I have three kids. If I am only a teacher, nowadays, I cannot give them what they need. I need to juggle more jobs to provide for them. This takes time from me, so I cannot prepare my classes as much as I used to."

One of the school’s students, 15-year-old Christine, was returning home from school with a classmate when a bomb detonated near them. Christine lost a foot, but her friend was killed.

Our Bishops’ Conference and our cardinal recently requested all our Catholics and non-Catholics not to celebrate Christmas in a fabulous manner, spending money o unnecessary things, but to use that money to help the poor.”

“He offered me a soft drink. It was drugged and I don’t know what happened next. I resisted him throughout, but he used to put something in the food. He would also beat me.

"Our project partners sometimes feel despondent and tired, they think the world has forgotten them, but they retain a glimmer of hope, because they know we are with them, and that our benefactors are answering the call."

"There is international concern that the Religious Zionist Party, with its two protagonists Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, is far-right and wants to increase the settlements in the West Bank and share the Temple Mount."