John Pontifex, Aid to the Church in Need

Syrian Church leader pleads for end to \'war of extinction\'
Syrian Church leader pleads for end to 'war of extinction'

The leader of Catholics in Syria has issued a desperate plea for international help, describing how one child was killed and 60 others were injured when a bomb landed on a school playground during a spate of attacks in Damascus.

Nigerians risk death to attend Mass

More than 2,000 people in northern Nigeria risked their lives by turning out for Sunday Mass yesterday while their city was being bombed.

South Sudan church leader: \'We have lost everything\'
South Sudan church leader: 'We have lost everything'

Diocese decimated by violence and looting, ACN offers emergency help after all priests and Sisters are evacuated

Sisters, staff and pupils narrowly avoid violence and death in Nigeria

A disabled man from northern Nigeria has spoken of his horror as he was forced to watch extremists carry out a string of atrocities including the killing of four men as well as arson attacks that razed a Catholic school to the ground.

Threat of famine in South Sudan
Threat of famine in South Sudan

"People are on the edge of starvation and, if nothing happens, people will fall into that situation" – Mgr Roko Taban Mousa

Pakistan needs harmony
Pakistan needs harmony

New Archbishop of Lahore sets out his vision in a country wracked by violence

Hopes of a brighter future stir in Egypt\'s Christians
Hopes of a brighter future stir in Egypt's Christians

Bishops' delight as 98 per cent vote 'yes' for constitution

Patriarch\'s plea for peace in Syria
Patriarch's plea for peace in Syria

Syria's Catholic leader makes urgent prayer appeal ahead of Geneva II conference

Christmas passes peacefully for Copts in Egypt
Christmas passes peacefully for Copts in Egypt

Egypt's Coptic Christians had reason to be of good cheer this Christmas after early reports showed that their festive celebrations passed off without incident – unlike in previous years.

Christmas gifts for grieving families in Syria
Christmas gifts for grieving families in Syria

Displaced Christian families in Syria who have lost loved ones in acts of persecution and other violence are to receive a special offering this Christmas – thanks to the benefactors of Aid to the Church in Need.

Attacks on Christians as horrific as Kristallnacht against Jews, says MP
Attacks on Christians as horrific as Kristallnacht against Jews, says MP

An MP has told a parliamentary debate that the persecution of Christians today should be compared to the Kristallnacht attack on Jews instigated by the Nazis.

Keep the faith in Syria
Keep the faith in Syria

A Syrian prelate – ordained a bishop only last month – has spoken of his dismay at the country's mass exodus of Christians but is convinced that the future of one of the world's oldest Church communities is assured.

Appeals for peace in Egypt after sudden increase in attacks on Christians
Appeals for peace in Egypt after sudden increase in attacks on Christians

The UK head of a charity that supports persecuted Christians is calling on people to pray for peace in Egypt after a sudden spike in attacks on Copts in the wake of President Morsi's dramatic downfall.

Whole of Syria has become a battlefield, says church leader
Whole of Syria has become a battlefield, says church leader

Damascus Patriarch makes urgent peace appeal

Anger over violence against Pakistani Christians

Government authorities in Pakistan stand accused of failing to protect a vulnerable community who fled their Christian quarter and watched helplessly as their homes were robbed and set ablaze.

Archbishop calls refugees back to Burma
Archbishop calls refugees back to Burma

Burma's three million refugees should return home and help rebuild their nation, according to the leader of the country's Catholics, who says that after half a century times are changing for the better.