Iraqi Patriarch Sako: “The pope is close to us, even when he is not here.”
Papal donation from Lamborghini auction gives Iraqi Christians courage. “Iraqi Christians were deeply moved by the gesture of the Holy Father,” said Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon Louis Raphaël I Sako to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Pope Francis has promised to donate a part of the funds [...]
A “Lamborghini” to Support the Christians in Nineveh
15th November – Rome / Vatican. By Marta Petrosillo (edited by Maria Lozano) A brand-new, special edition Lamborghini Huracan presented to Pope Francis will be auctioned off and the proceeds donated to charity. Part of the funds raised from the Sotheby's auction will go to the “Return to the Roots” [...]
The Marshall Plan to rebuild Nineveh: $250 million for the Christians of Iraq
There is complete devastation in many villages in Iraq and considerable damage in others, following jihadism. This is seen especially in those churches where the terrorists' rage had one objective: to completely eradicate a Christian presence in the Middle East. To stop the diaspora and for Christians [...]
Nineveh Conference 28 Sep. 2017 – “Return to the Roots”
“Facilitate the Return and Guarantee the Protection”. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin calls for the respect of the rights of Christians in Iraq. The Cardinal was speaking at a conference organized by the Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) on Thursday 28 September in Rome [...]
Celebrations mark the return of Iraqi Christians to Nineveh
By John Pontifex in Iraq ABOUT 500 Christian families from Iraq celebrated their long-awaited homecoming to the Nineveh Plains with ceremonies on Sunday, 10th September marking a fresh start in their old towns and villages. In Qaraqosh (Baghdeda), the largest of Nineveh’s Christian towns, priests and people holding olive branches [...]
ACN updates Pope Francis personally about NRC efforts
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) updated His Holiness Pope Francis personally about the charity’s ongoing reconstruction efforts for the Christians seeking to return to their homes in the Nineveh Plains, Iraq. During a private audience granted to the International Catholic Legislators Network (ICLN) on 27 August 2017, ACN's [...]
Up to 15,000 more Christians returning home this month
Within just one month up to 15,000 displaced Iraqi Christians are expected to return to the town in the ancient Nineveh Plains which suffered the worst violence carried out by Daesh (ISIS). The return of an expected 3,000 families to Qaraqosh comes amid growing concern among parents to secure places [...]
Bartella is coming to life again after IS the first Christians are returning home
Aid to the Church in Need and the Nineveh Reconstruction Committee have finished restoring the first 17 houses in the Christian village on the Nineveh Plain. The families who have returned home are saying, “Our life, our history is here. This is where we want to live.” Erbil (Iraq), [...]
“Although the city of Mosul has been liberated militarily, there is still another battle ahead”
Archbishop Amel Nona was the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Mosul when ISIS invaded the city in 2014 forcing the Christian communities to flee. The archbishop found shelter together with his flock in Telkef and in other Christian villages on the Nineveh Plains. This refuge was short-lived: during the night of [...]