Book Review -The Seed Who Was Afraid to Be Planted - Author Anthony DeStefano

The following book review was written by Rosa Sautner, a Catholic homeschooling mom of two.

A very charming rhyming book illustrated with touching images of a frightened little seed.  The story of the seed who is afraid to be put into the ground and planted contains many truths about our life.  It offers pleasant rhyme to help children learn about dying to oneself in order to live in Christ.  The story can also be used to help explain why we are afraid to die in this life.  We don't know what joy the next life contains, we only know the "now" of our existence.  If we trust the Divine Gardener and let him do as He wills with us, we will see all the joy that He has planned for us in the next life .  These are profound truths that can be told in simple story form for children.  A lovely book that would be a very appropriate gift for Lent or Easter.

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EWTN Tolkien Documentary Receives First Place Prize in Rome

EWTN Original Documentary Receives First Place Prize Second Award This Year For ‘J.R.R. Tolkien: An Unexpected Friend’

Irondale, AL (EWTN) – The English language version of the EWTN Original Film “J.R.R. Tolkien – An Unexpected Friend,” a co-production of EWTN and Diego Blanco Albarova, won top honors in the Best Documentary category at the 2019 Mirabile Dictu International Catholic Film Festival in Rome. The four-day festival was founded in 2010 by Liana Marabini under the patronage of the Pontifical Council for Culture. “This award is one of only five given – out of more than 1,500 total entries,” said EWTN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael P. Warsaw. “The Spanish language version of this same EWTN Original Documentary was honored earlier this year with a First Place Gabriel Award by the Catholic Press Association.” John Elson, Director of EWTN Co-Productions, said this documentary is a journey to the Christian meaning of the “Lord of the Rings.” “Tolkien, who was a practicing Catholic, hid the Gospel in his most famous story. This documentary answers questions such as: Is this epic fantasy adventure a parable? Do orcs, elves and hobbits hide the precious pearl of the Gospel? What does the ring mean and why is it necessary to destroy it? Who is the enemy?” The documentary airs on EWTN television at various times throughout the year (www.ewtn.com/channelfinder), and can be purchased on a single CD containing both the English and Spanish language versions from EWTN Religious Catalogue at http://bit.ly/ERCHDUF. The Mirabile Dictu International Catholic Film Festival was launched to honor producers, filmmakers, documentaries, docu-fiction, TV series, short films and programs “that promote universal moral values and positive models.” The competition honors entries in five categories, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Short Film, Best Documentary, and the Capax Dei Foundation Special Prize for Evangelization. EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 38th year, is the largest religious media network in the world. EWTN’s 11 global TV channels are broadcast in multiple languages 24 hours a day, seven days a week to over 300 million television households in more than 145 countries and territories. EWTN platforms also include radio services transmitted through SIRIUS/XM, iHeart Radio, and over 500 domestic and international AM & FM radio affiliates; a worldwide shortwave radio service; one of the largest Catholic websites in the U.S.; electronic and print news services, including Catholic News Agency, “The National Catholic Register” newspaper, and several global news wire services; as well as EWTN Publishing, its book publishing division. ### Photo Caption: EWTN’s Original Film “J.R.R. Tolkien – An Unexpected Friend,” a co-production of EWTN and Diego Blanco Albarova, won top honors in the Best Documentary category at the 2019 Mirabile Dictu International Catholic Film Festival in Rome. Accepting the award for EWTN are Anthony Johnson (l) and Alexey Gotovsky (r) from EWTN’s Rome Bureau with English Actor Rupert Wynne-James, one of the Festival judges. The documentary airs on EWTN television at various times throughout the year (www.ewtn.com/channelfinder), and can be purchased on a single CD containing both the English and Spanish language versions from EWTN Religious Catalogue at http://bit.ly/ERCHDUF.

ACN NewsAs Venezuela’s crisis continues, “We priests also feel tempted to leave”

THE CRISIS IN VENEZUELA has many faces. Among them are the faces of a small part of the population that is hardly ever mentioned in the news: priests. The Venezuelan Church, just like the rest of society, is suffering—and priests share the deprivations of the population, a shortage of food, medicine, etc.

“I teach at a school and have taken over the pastoral care at a hospital so that I at least have the bare necessities for survival. I also lecture at the seminary. This barely keeps me afloat,” said Father Ángel Colmenares.

He added: “In these critical times, temptation is everywhere. The worst temptation is to get used to these circumstances, to start believing that ‘times are bad, and so there is nothing I can do.’”

According to the United Nations, more than four million people have emigrated from Venezuela in the last few years. “We priests also feel tempted to leave the country. After all, clergy are needed elsewhere as well. When the family falls upon hard times, or parents or siblings can no longer earn a living, leaving becomes one way to help them,” said Father Colmenaras.

Last year, about ten priests had to leave the country to get medical treatment and at least four priests died because of a lack of basic medicines for cancer or diabetes. Robberies and violence are another problem: Father Irailuis García from Barquisimeto was killed in a July 2018 robbery.

Father Colmenaras ministry includes simply walks down the streets, paths and stairs of the city district of Ezequiel Zamora, a very poor section in Catia La Mar. As he walks the neighborhood, locals are very happy to see him.

He said: “Many cannot believe that anyone would come here to this conflict-ridden district. But I want to be close to all and bring them the Gospel with joy and without being stingy with my time and help.”

The priest has become a lifeline for the community, a father and a brother, and even a builder: He said: “We are tearing down the wall that was built around the church. This is supposed to be an outward sign that the Church wants to be close to the people. We had to repair the roof and set up several rooms for catechesis.”

“The families here have almost nothing, but they still help out with the work that needs doing in the church. I contribute the same amount from the Mass stipends that I receive. Little by little, we are getting things done. We want the best for Our Lord,” the priest explained, adding: “I encourage everyone to always be happy and prepared to spread the message throughout the entire neighborhood that the Lord is here, that there is a truth here.”

“The Lord wants us to be joyful and we have to show everyone our joy in the risen Lord, despite all the difficulties.”

“In addition to the economic crisis, society as a whole is going through a profound moral crisis. Theft, alcohol abuse and prostitution are on the rise. The people who want to survive do not have a problem with stooping to these things. This engenders distrust and uncertainty and makes it impossible to live side by side with one another,” Father Colmenares said.

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is an important source of support for the Venezuelan Church. Father Colmenares receives aid in the form of Mass stipends. ACN also gave him the money for a bed, a washing machine and a refrigerator to keep fresh the food that the diocese gives to the poor.

—Josué Villalón

With picture of Father Angel Colmenares (© ACN) 

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.  ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work in over 145 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information contact Michael Varenne at michael@churchinneed.org or call 718-609-0939 or fax 718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384.  www.churchinneed.org

ACN News Catholic priest is murdered in Syria—“We continue to feel the presence of ISIS”

“THE WAR IN SYRIA IS NOT OVER YET. We continue to feel the presence of ISIS.” These are the words of Armenian Catholic Archbishop Boutros Marayati of Aleppo. He spoke by telephone with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) following the Nov. 11 murder of Father Hovsep Bedoyan, parish priest of the Armenian Catholic parish of Saint Joseph in Qamishli in northeastern Syria

The archbishop said that Father Hovsep had been on his way to Deir ez-Zor to supervise the re-building work on the Church of the Martyrs there. “We are trying to rebuild the church and the houses of the Christians who used to live there, so that they can return to the city,” he said.

Father Bedoyan (43) was traveling by car together with three other people: his father, Ibrahim Bedoyan, a deacon and another layperson. The archbishop continued: “Shortly before they arrived at Deir ez-Zor, two armed men on a motorcycle overtook their car and opened fire.”

“The father of the priest was killed instantly, while Father Hovsep Hanna died later outside the hospital in Hasaka.” The deacon was also wounded, while the other layman was able to escape uninjured.

The incident is still being investigated. “So far we don’t know who killed him, although it appears that ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack.”

“What we do know is that Father Hovsep was dressed in his priestly attire and was consequently identifiable as a priest, in addition to the fact that his car was clearly marked, in large letters, with the words ‘Armenian Catholic Church,’” said the archbishop. Hence it is entirely plausible that Father Hovsep was murdered because he was a priest and because of his efforts to re-establish the Christian presence in Deir ez-Zor.

“This is a very important town for us,” Archbishop Marayati stressed, “because it is there that many of our martyrs were killed as they fled the Turkish genocide of 1915. Today there are no Armenian Catholics left there. Undoubtedly, the Turks don’t want us to return, because our presence would be a reminder of the Armenian genocide.”

At midday local time Nov. 12, the funeral Mass for Father Hovsep Hanna was celebrated in Qamishli. The entire community was present, including many Muslims, with everyone wishing to demonstrate the unity and solidarity of the entire town.

It is a town that is now threatened by severe tensions, owing to the clashes between Turks and Kurds. The archbishop said: “The situation is chaotic. There are Turks, Kurds, Americans and Russians. Just yesterday there were three explosions.”

“The Christians are afraid; with every new outbreak of violence, many families are deciding to emigrate.” Before the war, there were some 5,000 Armenian Catholics and five churches in the region. Today, there are just 2,000 faithful and only two churches remain open.

Archbishop Marayati appealed to the international community: “All we are asking is that this war should end, but that will not be possible if people continue to help the terrorists and send arms to Syria.”

The archbishop also addressed Christians all over the world: “I beg you to pray for us and for our people, because at present we are living through extremely difficult times.”

—Marta Petrosillo

With pictures of Father-Hovseb-Bedoyan (© ACN)

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.  ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work in over 145 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information contact Michael Varenne at michael@churchinneed.org or call 718-609-0939 or fax 718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384.  www.churchinneed.org

ACN-USA News - Pope blesses Marian icon in support of campaign to console Christians in Syria

ON THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION, Pope Francis blessed 6,000 rosaries earmarked for suffering Syrian Christians; on Sept. 15, 2019, these rosaries were distributed in Catholic and Orthodox churches throughout Syria. That same day, the Pope blessed a Marian icon that will travel the country.

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) commissioned the icon of the “Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Sorrows and Consolatrix of the Syrian People” as part of the “Console my People” campaign of prayer for Syrian Christians sponsored by ACN alongside the Catholic and Orthodox Churches in Syria. The campaign seeks to comfort those families who had loved ones abducted or killed during the eight years of the Syrian civil war.

The 6000 rosaries, commissioned by ACN and produced by Christian craftsmen in Bethlehem and Damascus, were distributed in parishes across the country’s 34 Christian dioceses in commemoration of the feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

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.

Along with the rosaries, Bibles in Arabic—donated by ACN—were distributed, along with crosses made in the Holy Land of olive wood and blessed by Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ephraim III.

Following the Pope’s Sept. 15 meeting with an ACN delegation, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, ACN president, expressed gratitude to the Holy Father for “his affectionate closeness, as always, wherever there are tears to be dried, a sign of just how much the world needs compassion.”

He added that the feast of the Sorrowful Mother “offers us a lesson of true and profound compassion and maternal tenderness. Mary suffers for Jesus, but at the same time she also suffers with Jesus, and the passion of Christ is a sharing in the whole of human suffering.”

—Marta Petrosillo                 

With picture of Our Lady of Sorrows, Consoler of Christians (© ACN)

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.  ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work in over 145 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information contact Michael Varenne at michael@churchinneed.org or call 718-609-0939 or fax 718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384.  www.churchinneed.org

Pope Francis blesses 6,000 rosaries for Syrian families—ACN sponsors initiative

ON THE FEAST of the Assumption, August 15, Pope Francis, during the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, blessed 6,000 rosaries destined for Syria. They will be given to Christians in Syria who have had relatives or family members abducted or murdered during the civil war. This is part of an ecumenical initiative by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in partnership with Catholic and Orthodox Churches in Syria.

"The rosaries, made at the initiative of ACN, are a sign of my closeness to our brothers and sisters in Syria," Pope Francis said as part of his Angelus address, adding: "We continue to pray the Rosary for peace in the Middle East and around the world."

ACN arranged for the production of the rosaries in Bethlehem and Damascus.

The plan is to distribute the rosaries among a number of different Christian communities in Syria on September 15, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. The motto of the initiative is “Comfort my people;” the project aims to commemorate the victims of war and offer spiritual support and comfort to the bereaved.

Speaking earlier to an ACN delegation headed by the organization’s Executive President Dr. Thomas Heine-Geldern, Pope Francis praised the work of ACN and the ecumenical initiative: "I thank ACN for everything you do. When we pray with the people in Syria, we become close to them."

“The Holy Father has on several occasions expressed his support and approval for our commitment in Syria and the Middle East,” said Dr. Heine-Geldern, “and he has done so again today. For the families of the war victims, these blessed rosaries are a sign that the Pope and the entire Church are with them, praying for them and standing beside them.”

Since the start of Syrian civil war in 2011, support for suffering and persecuted Christians in Syria has been a priority for ACN. During this period, reported Dr. Heine-Geldern, ACN has funded 850 projects totaling almost $40M.

The work has enabled numerous Christian families to stay in the country, rather than emigrating. However, “money is not enough,” he said, adding: “Alongside material aid, the people in Syria need spiritual and moral support, for they are in a desperate situation. Together with our donors around the world, ACN is committed to helping them.”

On September 15, the “Comfort my People” initiative will take place in a number of cities in Syria. In each location there will be commemorative prayers and procession, to remember the dead and for the consolation and support of their families. That day, Pope Francis will again associate himself with the initiative by blessing an icon of Our Lady of Sorrows, Comforter of the Syrians.

—Tobias Lehner

With picture Dr. Heine-Geldern presenting a rosary to Pope Francis (© Servicio Fotografico-Vatican Media)

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.  ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work in over 145 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information contact Michael Varenne at michael@churchinneed.org or call 718-609-0939 or fax 718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384.  www.churchinneed.org

ACN-USA News - In Sri Lanka & the Philippines, a church and a cathedral re-open after deadly terror strikes

THREE MONTHS after a suicide bomber killed almost 100 worshippers at St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, Sri Lanka, Cardinal Malcom Ranjith of Colombo presided at the first Mass at the church since the Easter Sunday bomb attack on April 21, 2019.

With the front pews reserved for survivors of the attack, more than 1,000 people attended the Mass held July21 under tight security.

In front of the church, in a glass encasement, now stands a statue of Christ still splattered with the blood of worshipers who died in the church on Easter Sunday.

In his homily, Cardinal Ranjith repeated his charge that various government agencies and officials had failed to prevent the terror strikes, which altogether killed more than 250 at three churches—including St. Antony’s Shrine in Colombo—and three luxury hotels.

As he has done numerous times since the bombing, the cardinal called on Christians not to retaliate against the country’s Muslims. The perpetrators of the attacks, he stressed, were caught up in an international terrorist conspiracy.

Meanwhile, in Jolo, the Philippines, Archbishop Gabrielle Caccia, papal nuncio to the Philippines, on July 16 presided over the re-dedication of Our Lady of Mount Cathedral, six months after two improvised explosive devices killed 21 worshipers and injured almost 100 others.

One of the bombs was detonated inside the cathedral during Mass January 27, the other device exploded outside the building. Since 2000, the cathedral and its vicinity had been targeted by bomb attacks nine times.

Archbishop Caccia, at the conclusion of the re-dedication Mass assured survivors of the blasts and those who lost loved ones in the attack that ‘”they are not forgotten or neglected.”

He added: “this is not only manifested with financial assistance, but through the solidarity of prayer all over the world.”

Jolo is the capital of Susu Province, which is largely Muslim. The local Church has been strongly committed to fostering Muslim-Christian dialogue as a bulwark against radicalism.

The perpetrators of the bombing are suspected to be associated with Islamist terror group Abu Sayyaf, which occupied the center of Marawi City in the Mindanao region for five months in 2017.

                                

With picture of re-dedication Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel (© ACN)

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.  ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work in over 145 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information contact Michael Varenne at michael@churchinneed.org or call 718-609-0939 or fax 718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384.  www.churchinneed.org

Aid to the Church in Need receives the 2019 Path to Peace Award

ARCHBISHOP Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and president of the Path to Peace Foundation, has praised Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)—the recipient of the 2019 Path to Peace Award—as “the leading organization in the world putting words to the persecution Christians are suffering in certain places and, even more importantly, responding with action.”

Speaking May 22, 2019 at the Path to Peace Foundation’s annual Award Gala at the Pierre Hotel in New York, Archbishop Auza said that the foundation sought to honor ACN “as a voice crying in the wilderness, echoing the voices of Christians crying out for help.”

The archbishop cited ACN’s biennial reports—Persecuted and Forgotten? and Religious Freedom in the World—as “the best reports that exist detailing, respectively, the ravages of Christianophobia,” as well as the state of religious freedom in 196 countries.

“The importance of the information these reports provide cannot be overstated,” said the archbishop, even as ACN “has done even a greater service by all their work on the ground.”

Archbishop Auza—who, as a young priest, received a scholarship from ACN that allowed him to study in Rome—noted in particular ACN’s work on Iraq’s Nineveh Plains, where the organization “is leading a what has been boldly called a ‘Marshall Plan’ for the rebuilding of houses, institutions, churches and lives in response to ISIS destruction.”

Accepting the award, Dr. Thomas Heine-Geldern, executive president of ACN International, said that the honor belongs to “those Christians who, just because of their faith, are persecuted, oppressed, discriminated or silenced.”

“Tonight, in lending them my voice, my hope is that their martyrdom is a little less silent.”

He continued: “Our work would not be possible without the unflagging support of our benefactors worldwide. We exist because of their extraordinary moral and financial support and we should keep in mind that it is often the mite of the widow which helps us.”

“Our donors are the foundation on which we build bridges of faith, hope and charity in support of the persecuted Church.”

ACN was founded in 1947 by a young Dutch Norbertine priest, Father Werenfried van Straaten (1913 -2003), to help meet the needs of refugees and displaced people in post-World War II Germany.

Today, ACN is a papal charity that supports persecuted and suffering faithful with more than 5,000 projects around the world each year.

Projects include the construction of churches and chapels; support for the training of seminarians, men and women religious as well as lay catechists; emergency aid; and transportation for clergy and religious.

Last year, ACN donors gave more than $100M in aid. Since 2011, ACN has provided more than $70M to support Syrian and Iraqi Christians threatened by ISIS and other Islamist groups, ensuring the survival of Christianity in the region.

“Religious freedom,” said Dr. Heine-Geldern, “is a fundamental human right. It is the responsibility of all nations and international NGOs to protect every individual’s right to religious freedom.”

“We must not give up the fight for the full implementation of this basic human right, which is inseparably linked to the dignity of every human being.”

Concluding his remarks, he said that “we all have an obligation to respond and show our solidarity with Christian communities suffering persecution, though in the end, the hardest job is not ours.”

“Standing with the faithful on the frontlines, confronting persecution, hate and violence, are courageous men and women—bishops, priests, women religious and lay volunteers. The ultimate servants of peace, they remain with their people. I also dedicate the 2019 Path to Peace Award to them.”

The Path to Peace Foundation supports various aspects of the work of the Holy See Mission to the UN. The Foundation also funds humanitarian projects in developing countries.

Previous recipients of the Path to Peace Award include: Cardinal Mario Zenari, papal nuncio to Syria; Prince Henri of Luxembourg; and Queen Sofia of Spain.

In his opening remarks, Archbishop Auza said that “the Holy See Mission would not be able to do what we have tried to do in defense of Christians at the United Nations were it not for ACN-USA’s steady and superlative collaboration.”

“We are committed to help persecuted Christians everywhere and we want to ensure that global anti-Christian persecution stays front-and-center in the news and public discourse,” said George Marlin, chairman of ACN-USA, adding: “We are calling on government and Church leaders to make the issue a priority.”

With picture of Archbishop Auza and Dr. Heine-Geldern (© ACN)

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.  ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work in over 145 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information contact Michael Varenne at michael@churchinneed.org or call 718-609-0939 or fax 718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384.  www.churchinneed.org

ACN-USA News - Islamists kidnap Christian in Egypt ‘We fear torture and savage death’

ADEEB NAKHLA, a Coptic Christian, was kidnapped by an ISIS affiliate group in Sinai, Egypt last January. Since then, there has been no news of his whereabouts or condition.

On January 17, 2019, around 9am, Nakhla, 55, was traveling from Ismailia to Al-Arish to visit relatives, when a militant Islamic group stopped the minibus he was riding in and checked the national identity cards of those on board. The cards state religious affiliation, and when the militants saw that Nakhla was a Christian, they asked him to get out of the vehicle. He was taken away.

Nakhla had fled Al-Arish two years ago, as did dozens of Christian families who moved to Ismailia after receiving death threats. A relative, who spoke to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) on condition of anonymity, said that many Coptic Christians who chose to stay were slaughtered: “We left Al-Arish in 2017, after terrorists killed seven of our neighbors. Among the dead were a father and son; they burnt their bodies and their home, and the mother, Nabila, was forced to watch. She is severely traumatized.”

Last year, Nakhla’s family returned to Al-Arish, where family members work and own property; Nakhla stayed in Ismailia for his job. Nakhla’s relative said: “We had to return to our home and work. We were unemployed in Ismailia, and we lived on aid from the Church. Conditions in the city have improved thanks to the Egyptian army’s stepped-up campaign against terrorist groups, though it is still dangerous on the road.”

He continued: “Militants affiliated with ISIS have staged ambushes on the highways and launched attacks on civilians and security forces. The Muslim driver of the communal taxi Uncle Adeeb rode in said that militants clad in khaki stopped the vehicle. When they discovered that Uncle Adeeb was a Christian, they asked him to get out. Our biggest fear is that they may abuse, torture, and kill him, just as savagely as they have other Copts.”

Violence towards Coptic Christians in Egypt has increased since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Most attacks have occurred in northern Sinai, where, according to tradition, the Holy Family entered Egypt. In 2012, unknown assailants issued a handwritten statement demanding that all remaining Copts leave the border city of Rafah; since then, a number of local Copts have been kidnapped and killed by terrorist groups.

In 2018, ACN supported the pastoral work and social services ministries of the Catholic Coptic Church in Egypt with projects totaling more than $750,000.

—Engy Magdy

                                 

With picture of Adeeb Nakhla (© ACN)

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.  ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work in over 145 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information contact Michael Varenne at michael@churchinneed.org or call 718-609-0939 or fax 718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384.  www.churchinneed.org

EWTN To Launch African News Agency

EWTN To Launch African News Agency

Irondale, AL (EWTN) – EWTN Global Catholic Network announced May 10 that it will launch a news service for the African continent.  ACI-Africa will be a Nairobi, Kenya-based Catholic news agency, which will publish content in English, French and Portuguese. EWTN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael P. Warsaw formally introduced the project during an event at EWTN’s Vatican bureau. The news agency will officially begin operations on August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption, the same date on which EWTN Founder Mother Angelica launched EWTN in 1981. “I am pleased to announce that EWTN will soon be launching a news agency which will cover the Church across the continent of Africa,” Warsaw said. “The Church in Africa is vibrant and continues to see exponential growth.  My hope is that this new service from EWTN will help continue to build up the African Church and also ensure that the voice of the African Church is heard more clearly around the world with content that is shared through EWTN’s other news platforms.” The Association for Catholic Information in Africa (ACI-Africa) will be headed by Father Don Bosco Onyalla, a priest of the Diocese of Rumbek in South Sudan. He is a journalist who established and previously oversaw the Catholic News Agency For Africa (CANAA), a project of the African bishops conference since May 2013. Onyalla’s work has included producing websites, newsletters and social media updates for the bishops, as well as working with diocesan, national and regional episcopal communication directors throughout Africa.  He speaks English, French, and Swahili, as well as the local languages of Luhya and Dinka. “I look forward to interacting with fellow Catholic journalists under the EWTN umbrella, to facilitating the telling of Africa’s story by Africans, and to the challenges involved in setting up a news agency in the vast and multi-cultural context that is Africa,” Onyalla said. ACI-Africa will be a part the ACI Group which was acquired by EWTN in 2014 and includes ACI Prensa, the world’s largest Spanish-language Catholic news organization with headquarters in Lima, Peru; ACI Digital, the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil-based news organization, which serves the Portuguese-speaking world; and ACI Stampa, the Italian-language news organization based in Rome. ACI Group is part of the larger EWTN News, Inc. division, which also includes Denver-based Catholic News Agency (CNA), the German language news service, CNA Deutsch, and several other Catholic news outlets. “We were honored to welcome Vatican officials, journalists, and distinguished guests to our event announcing the birth of ACI-Africa,” said Alejandro Bermudez, Executive Director of the ACI Group.  “This new Agency aimed at covering all Africa for Africa and the world is an expression of the growing role African Catholicism is having in the universal Church. This is a significant step forward for the ACI Group as well as for the larger EWTN News family.” The launch of ACI-Africa is the latest development in EWTN’s efforts to continue to expand its news presence in the global Catholic digital and multimedia marketplace. In 2013, the Network launched “EWTN News Nightly,” a daily news program from Washington, D.C. covering news and world events from a Catholic perspective. In 2011, EWTN acquired “The National Catholic Register,” the leading Catholic newspaper in the United States. In addition, EWTN’s radio and digital media services have greatly expanded their news content in recent years. EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 38th year, is the largest religious media network in the world. EWTN’s 11 global TV channels are broadcast in multiple languages 24 hours a day, seven days a week to over 300 million television households in more than 145 countries and territories. EWTN platforms also include radio services transmitted through SIRIUS/XM, iHeart Radio, and over 500 domestic and international AM & FM radio affiliates; a worldwide shortwave radio service; one of the largest Catholic websites in the U.S.; electronic and print news services, including Catholic News Agency, “The National Catholic Register” newspaper, and several global news wire services; as well as EWTN Publishing, its book publishing division.