Mirror 0517 by Aid to the Church in Need

Aid to the Church in Need

MIRROR GIVE JOY, GIVE HOPE

Putting Love into Practice

PUTTING LOVE INTO PRACTICE

MIRROR GIVE JOY, GIVE HOPE

CONTENTS PAGE The challenges we face........................................... J F Declan Quinn...............................1 We need the Eucharist............................................. Fr. Martin Barta..................................2 Keeping Christ’s Light Shining Brightly............... J F Declan Quinn...............................4 Annual Report 2016 - Project Department........ Regina Lynch.....................................6 Re-seeding the Christian presence on the plains of Nineveh................................ 14 Returning to Their Roots - The Challenges................................................................. 16 We want to Return and Rebuild Our Home................................................................ 18 Assessing the Damage after ISIS..................................................................................... 20 Free from ISIS and Free to go Home............................................................................. 22 The Way of Peace............................................................................................................... 24 Making Space for MIssion................................................................................................ 26 Your Thoughts... Our Thanks........................................................................................... 28

‘Let us love one another as God loves each of us. And where does this love begin? In your own home. How does it begin? By praying together.’ MOTHER THERESA OF CALCUTTA

Editor: Jürgen Liminski. Publisher: ACN International, Postfach 1209, 61452 Königstein, Germany. De licentia competentis auctoritatis ecclesiasticae. Printed in Ireland - ISSN 0252-2535. www.acninternational.org

Aid to the Church in Need

YEARS OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

THE CHALLENGES WE FACE A chairde,

ike the years before and like the years to come 2016 was a year of challenge and a year of grace for the whole Church and therefore also for Aid to the Church in Need. The challenges we face in the world today as individuals, as families, as communities, as humanity-at-large are many, are varied, are intimidatingly large in fact they are overwhelming. As mere human beings, we cannot cope with the evil that is in the world without the grace of God. Indeed the more we try to do so, the more we try to exclude the God of the Gospels from the life of the world, the worse things become. Here the simple truth, a truth which far too many deny, is that without the light of

Christ in our world and in our lives, our future is grim and our present lacking; lacking in real Hope and true Joy. In layman’s terms one can say that the bringing of Hope and of Joy to the world ‘always and everywhere’ is the mission Christ entrusted to His Church. In what follows we outline how Aid to the Church in Need seeks to help advance the Church’s mission in the world yesterday, today and tomorrow. It also indicates how we hope to do more in 2017 and beyond.

Beir Beannacht

J F Declan Quinn Director, Aid to the Church in Need (Ire)

Destruction by ISIS of Immaculate Church in Qaraqosh, Iraq.

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WE NEED THE EUCHARIST Dear Friends,

n the commemorative cards for his first Holy Mass a young priest once wrote the single Greek word: ‘Eucharistomen’ – ‘We give thanks’. Thanksgiving is uppermost in our minds as we present this year’s annual report to you in the current issue of the Mirror. ‘Thank you’ is a very human expression; it is one of the shortest phrases for expressing our appreciation for what we have been given. We all depend upon one another – though this fact often becomes blurred by the fact that we can purchase so many forms of help and assistance. Acts of human kindness become paid-for services, what used to be a free suddenly commands a fee. And yet as humans we depend to a considerable extent on things that can

never be paid for – our very existence, freedom, grace – all things beyond price. The things we can purchase, such as pleasure, comfort, education, excitement, insurance – even good health, to some extent – can at best satisfy us, but never make us truly happy. That is why gratitude leads us to the unconditional love of God, which is bestowed on us freely and for nothing. It is given for our good, simply because God wants us to be good. He wants us to experience this love not only through the incarnation of His Son, but also through the Holy Eucharist. Eucharist means thanksgiving. Our Lord gave us His enduring presence in the Eucharist, He transformed the Cross, all suffering and all evil in the world into thanksgiving, and hence also into a blessing. Jesus surrendered His own body to the world to heal our wounds. Our gratitude to God impels us to hasten to the help of others, even though in doing so we may run the risk of being hurt ourselves. We need the Eucharist to enable us to overcome our fears and our selfishness. Dear friends, everything that we are able to achieve, with your help, draws its real strength from the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar and is grounded in it.

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YEARS OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

Since our Lord himself wishes to be present among us in the Eucharist, we build churches, help seminarians, priests and religious and help train lay catechists. The Eucharist is the most precious and most necessary gift that can be given. The holy Curé of Ars put it this way: ‘All the treasures of this world are not enough to nourish the soul. God alone must be its nourishment. How noble man must be if only God alone can feed him.’ Let us often spend time before the Blessed Sacrament. He is there! Without price! On our love for our Eucharistic Lord depends whether the world descends into chaos in its poverty and ingratitude, or whether it is saved. That is why Saint Peter Julian Eymard once said, ‘The Blessed Eucharist is not only the life of the individual Christian, it is also the life of the nations. A century advances or goes backwards to the extent that the most Blessed Sacrament is adored.’

My grateful blessing on you all,

Father Martin M. Barta, ACN Ecclesiastical Assistant

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PUTTING LOVE INTO PRACTICE

KEEPING CHRIST’S LIGHT SHINING BRIGHTLY J F DECLAN QUINN

id to the Church in Need is a Channel of Grace which flows from its benefactors to its beneficiaries…and back again. Nowhere perhaps is this more evident than with ACN’s programme for administering Mass Stipends. In 2016 ACN international arranged to have over 1.4 million masses celebrated throughout the world.

And here is it is that ‘the Love of Christ urges us onwards’ (2COR 5:14). It is the Love of Christ acting under the guidance of the Holy Spirit which drives the Church onward in its mission to teach the world ‘the Art of Living’, the Art of Living as human beings whom our heavenly Father, has created in His image and likeness and called forth each by name.

The stipends for these Holy Masses originate primarily in the economicallydeveloped world and the Masses are invariably celebrated by impoverished priests labouring in the most economically challenged of the Lord’s vineyards. So it is that we have a Virtuous Circle of Grace, benefactors request prayers and provide existential support for priests who labour in materially-challenging circumstances and the priests then pray for the benefactors and their intentions. Material support begets spiritual reward and the whole people of God in this world and in the next benefit.

How easy it is in our daily grind to forget this truth about the great gift of life each of us has received. How easy it is to overlook and under-value the great opportunity God has given each of us to ‘love Him and love our neighbour as ourselves for the love of God’. The fact is that every last one of us has been invited by our loving God to take the gifts of love we have received and put them into practice.

Quite clearly while the Catholic Church is a significant and manifest temporal reality as evidenced in its buildings, its priests, its religious, its many and varied charitable activities (the Catholic Church is by far the largest and most effective charitable organisation in the world) it is the Church’s spiritual reality which is paramount and defines it and its mission. 4

Obviously of course how each of us respond to God’s invitation will differ from one person to another and indeed from one day to another. This is the high adventure of our Faith, our lifelong adventure that begins in the high dependency of infancy and never ceases until we shake off our ‘mortal coils’. But on that journey, be it long or short, one of intense temporal struggle or of relative comfort we need to remember that we do not journey alone, God is always there, walking beside us, always ready to ease our pain, to bind our wounds, to take on

Aid to the Church in Need

YEARS OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

our sufferings… that is of course if we let Him. Today, like yesterday and like tomorrow, the world struggles with God for the souls of men either denying Him or by proposing false Gods and idols. How easy it is to be led astray. How difficult it seems to be to find the ‘Narrow Gate’ and follow ‘Little Way’, ‘the Way of Truth’. And here it is that we need to remind ourselves that the Catholic Church is the means through which Jesus Christ, the Son of God, continues to redeem humanity from itself and offer the Hope of eternal Joy to everyone, one sinner at a time, one day at a time until the end of time. ACN benefactors in sustaining the Church’s salvific mission to the world are doing God’s work. They are doing it every day, sustaining priests, religious and laity in their efforts to give witness to the Gospel in the most difficult of places, at the most difficult of times and among the most hostile of people. In doing this they are helping to keep Christ’s light shining brightly in this dark world and in consequence they are keeping Christ’s light shining brightly in their lives and in the lives of their families. •

GIVE JOY, GIVE HOPE

PUTTINGRAYS ????????????? LOVE OFINTO HOPE PRACTICE

ANNUAL REPORT 2016 - PROJECT DEPARTMENT REGINA LYNCH - DIRECTOR OF PROJECT DEPARTMENT

id to the Church in Need received almost 8,000 funding applications during 2016 and thanks to the generosity of our benefactors managed to support 5,303 projects in 148 countries with over € 81 million in project aid. In all of this ACN’s foremost duty is to provide spiritual and material support through the local Church to those who suffer persecution or repression for the sake of their Christian faith. No viable request from a persecuted Church should ever go unanswered for lack of financial means. We should help here before we help elsewhere. But thankfully thanks to the generosity of our benefactors and all our colleagues, who are involved in raising funds and awareness for this suffering Church, we also have the means to support the Church in those parts of the world, where

The Citadel of Aleppo.

extreme poverty, wars or aggression from other faiths, are a hindrance to her mission of proclaiming the Word of God. The projects we support are primarily pastoral in nature, i.e. Faith-related. On average 30% of expenditure goes on constructions, whereas formation (training future priests and sisters, ongoing formation of priests and religious, faith formation for laity), which is a priority, makes up some 21%. Clearly it costs more to build a seminary than to train its seminarians. In 2016 we spent over €11,9 million on mass stipends or 15% of the budget. This means a constant increase in the last few years, e.g. in 2011 we only spent €9,8 M resulting in an overall increase of 18% by 2016. Normally, we have only a small budget for humanitarian projects but the situation of the Christians in the Middle East - in particular in Syria and Iraq -in most recent years, has meant that we have been more active in providing significant emergency aid in order that the Christians there can continue to exist in what is the cradle of Christianity. We also support by exception schools in countries such as Sudan, where the Christians are a minority in a Muslim society and the Catholic Church can only ensure that a Christian education is provided by running her own schools.

Aid to the Church in Need

YEARS OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

In all our project work, what is important for us is the dialogue with the local Church. The bishops and the religious superiors are our partners and we have to be attentive to what they have to say, to know where their priorities and needs lie. Very often we can help them meet the challenges that they face with the financial means at our disposal but sometimes the solution does not lie in funding and it is our prayers and the prayers of our benefactors that help them through a situation that might seem insurmountable in human terms.

MIDDLE EAST

As a Foundation that has as its priority both the material and spiritual support for persecuted Christians, it is no surprise that in the Middle East, we have seen a dramatic increase in our aid since the outbreak of the war in Syria in 2011 followed by the exodus of the Christians from the Nineveh Plain in summer 2014.

Destruction of Christian villages in Nineveh Plains. Here, ISIS decapitated a statue of Our Lady in the side chapel of a church in Batnaya.

In 2016 we spent some â&#x201A;Ź18,2 million on projects in the region meaning that the Middle East makes up around 22,5% of our project budget. For the moment it is difficult to imagine that this will change greatly in the next few years. Even if some of the Christians in northern Iraq return to the Nineveh Plain in the course of this year, we might not have to provide as much help for Iraq in the long run but the needs of the Christians in Syria will continue to require much support.

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AFRICA

In 2016 around 27,5% of the budget went to this large and still young Church in Africa. It is for us the largest-growing region in terms of number of applications. They make up some 34% of projects received. This reflects the growth and development of the Church in Africa. We pay particular attention to those countries or regions in Africa, where we see a growth in an aggressive form of Islam that was not evident before such as in the Sahel countries, Northern Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania even Madagascar or those beset by violence and conflicts e.g. Dem. Rep. of Congo, Central African Republic. The bishops in Africa stress the importance of having better formation for their priests and religious and of strengthening the faith of their people so that they can withstand the many threats from both within

and outside the continent. Because of the increase in applications and in budget, we now have four project sections for Africa and have increased our staff.

ASIA AND OCEANIA

Received around 16% of the project budget in 2016. Many countries or regions remain a priority for ACN: the countries that have suffered and still suffer to varying degrees -under Communism for decades such as China, Vietnam or Laos. Or the increasingly radical Hinduism that affects the Christians in India. There are countries like the Islamic State of Pakistan or parts of the Philippines, especially the Muslim dominated region of Mindanao. But there is also good news in parts of the vast region, e.g. in 2014 we spent over €1.0 million helping to rebuild churches destroyed by the typhoon Yolanda in December 2013 (the earmarked donations for the Philippines in 2013 and 2014 amounted to € 1, 419.105 -the total spent for the Philippines at the end of two years was € 2, 505.899). So it was that last year we were able to visit the ten churches successfully rebuilt with this aid.

Construction of St Joseph Cathedral in Sangmelima, Cameroon

We are currently supporting the reconstruction of the major seminary in Palo that was also badly damaged by the same typhoon.

Aid to the Church in Need

YEARS OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

With the collapse of Communism, in the early nineties we were able to dedicate around 50 % of our project budget to helping the Church in Eastern and Central Europe. In the last 25 years we have invested heavily in constructions, especially in seminaries but also in churches, convents, priestsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; houses etc. An important aspect of our work has been support for training future priests and sisters. While we continue with the formation programmes, a lot of infrastructure has been put in place and so in the last few years there has been a natural reduction of requests and of our support for some of the countries of the Church in Central and Eastern Europe. In 2016 around 14,6% of the budget went to this region. Priority countries are still: Ukraine, Russia, Belorussia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia-

Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria and the countries of Central Asia. In the Balkan region we see a worrying development of a radicalised Islam and so we need to show this small Church in these countries that they are not alone and to provide the support needed to keep them strong in their Faith. Elsewhere in those countries that now belong to the European Union, our focus will be more on initiatives for new or re-evangelisation, especially in those countries where secularism is encroaching on the Faith. In the field of ecumenism in Russia, we are enabling exchanges between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church in Russia on common areas of concern, e.g. persecuted Christians, protection of the faith in families or in cultural activities, in pilgrimages etc.

Prayer for the Coptic Martyrs during the Evening of Martyrs, organised by ACN Netherlands in the Basilica of St. Nicholas, Amsterdam.

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LATIN AMERICA

Latin America has seen a decrease in our support over the last few years (2016: 15%). Nonetheless, certain countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Uruguay and the countries of Central America remain a priority , because of the challenges to the Church ensuing from the political or economic situation. We also continue to give priority to the Church in Haiti, because of the extreme poverty and the rebuilding process after the earthquake that is still continuing. In Latin America, following the continental mission announced at Aparecida, Brazil in 2007, our focus is on formation programmes for seminarians but also for the laity (catechetical, biblical apostolate), media projects and when we fund new churches, then often these are in the marginal areas of large cities, where there is a huge influx of people from the rural areas.

A small part of our budget goes to projects in the so-called developed countries. If we include the international projects for the World Youth Day in Cracow, we arrive at some 4,4% of the total budget. Following the exodus of Catholics fleeing Communism in the Iron Curtain countries in the 1950s, we started helping refugees in Western Europe and today we either have projects for the pastoral care of new refugees from the Middle East or for migrant workers from the Ukraine, for example. We also include the Church in the diaspora of Scandinavia in this budget as well as some initiatives for New Evangelisation. In 2016 one significant project was the launching of the DOCAT -the youth catechism on the social teachings of the Church - at World Youth Day in Cracow. â&#x20AC;˘

Argentina: Prayer to Our Lady in rural area.

Aid to the Church in Need

YEARS OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2016

ACN International* Globally

Individual Donations including Mass Offerings Legacies Other Income Total Income

€96,038,806 74.3% €28,206,238 21.8% €5,026,163 3.9% 100.0%

€4,533,380

100.0%

€83,723,563

64.8%

€3,071,047

67.7%

€16,646,664

12.9%

€498,578

11.0%

€100,370,227

77.6%

€3,569,625

78.7%

Funds-raising Administration Total Expenses

€12,778,363 9.9% €8,284,572 6.4%

€299,918 6.6% €133,724 2.9%

€21,062,935

16.3%

€433,642

9.6%

€7,838,045

6.1%

€530,113

11.7%

Donations Carried over *

€2,440,400 53.8% €2,082,036 45.9% €10,944 0.2%

€129,271,207

Expenses Projects and Follow-up Information, Media and Pastoral Support Total Mission-related

ACN Ireland** All Island

These international financial statements have been audited and certified by KPMG. They are based on the individual financial statements of each national office, and aggregated to show the worldwide position.

** These are the all of ireland (32 counties) finiancial figures. The statutory figues for the Republic of Ireland are available to be read on our website, www.acnireland.org.

Their future is entwined with ours: these children in the Central African Republic gave a big thank you to our benefactors.

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AID ALLOCATED PER REGION ● 27.5 % ● 22.6 % ● 15.2 % ● 15.1 %

Africa Middle East Asia Latin America

● 14.8 % ● 4.8 %

Central and Eastern Europe Other Regions

YOUR HELP WENT TO 148 COUNTRIES.

SOURCES OF INCOME BY COUNTRY Country

2016

2015

Australia

€ 3,587,744

€ 2,525,367

Austria

€ 3,063,200

Belgium & Lux.

2016

2015

Malta

€ 212,155

€ 124,653

€ 2,973,358

Mexico

€ 266,478

€ 210,598

€ 4,537,734

€ 3,590,825

Netherlands

€ 3,888,878

€ 3,588,677

Brazil

€ 3,647,130

€ 3,662,022

Poland

€ 2,187,940

€ 2,085,253

Canada

€ 1,989,144

€ 2,104,063

Portugal

€ 3,178,816

€ 2,589,808

Chile

€ 1,155,887

€ 1,219,544

Spain

€ 169,896

€ 97,336

Colombia

Country

Switzerland

France

€ 29,490,022 € 36,590,066

South Korea

Germany

€ 12,393,616 € 10,513,008

€ 13,170,152 € 13,219,164 € 9,142,586 € 10,287,979 € 558,506

€ 85,322

€ 18,227,954 € 13,841,433

Ireland

€ 4,533,380

€ 3,686,081

USA

€ 6,825,530

€ 6,937,440

Italy

€ 3,390,293

€ 2,489,666

International Secretariat*

€ 2,936,796

€ 1,313,515

TOTAL WORLDWIDE INCOME*

€ 128,553,835 € 123,735,178

* Excluding Net Financial income. € 717,372 (2016) € 309,301 ()2015).

Aid to the Church in Need

YEARS OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

WHERE YOUR HELP WENT In 2016 you funded a total of 5,303 projects. Since 2011, we have sent €60 million to the crisis-hit areas of the Middle East – in 2016 alone we provided 18.2 million. We expect to be paying out similar levels this year. Because the cost of the various projects we supported was, on average, higher in 2016 we supported 900 fewer projects than the previous year. Unfortunately, 2,109 requests had to be declined.

● 30.0 % ● 18.6 %

Construction Refugee and emergency aid ● 14.8 % Mass Offerings ● 11.0 % Religious formation of the laity

1,222 construction projects

As in previous years, the largest proportion of our aid was for building projects, accounting for 30% of the total. This was followed by emergency aid – including help for refugees. We also helped with subsistence and formation including programmes to help 30,000 catechists and other lay workers.

● 10.9 %

Formation of priests and religious ● 7.3 % Pastoral transport ● 7.4 % Other Projects

You helped fund the construction of churches and chapels, cathedrals and seminaries. One third of these construction projects were in Africa.

1,435,888 Mass Offerings of our benefactors.

You helped one priest in every nine with Mass offerings (43,027 altogether), especially in Africa (14,403) and Asia (11,293). Every 22 seconds Holy Mass was celebrated somewhere in the world for the intentions of our benefactors.

10,760 seminarians were supported by you during 2016,

or one in every 11 seminarians worldwide (in 2015 it was one in every 10). Most of them were in Africa (4,667), followed by Latin America (2,900) and Eastern Europe (1,577).

11,080 religious sisters were That is one sister in every 62 (in 2015 it was one in every 67). supported by you in their In most cases it was a matter of basic or ongoing formation. training and/or apostolate. 375 cars, 149 motorcycles, 239 bicycles and two riverboats

were supplied by you for pastoral ministry. Once again in 2016, most of the vehicles went to Africa or Asia.

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RE-SEEDING THE CHRISTIAN PRESENCE ON THE PLAINS OF NINEVEH Dear Friends,

upport for building projects is the largest single category in the aid we supply to the Church in need. This is inevitably the case, since walls and roofs cost more than bread and books. All over the world, thanks to your generosity, we help to build, repair or renovate churches, chapels, convents and community centres. They are places of prayer, places of the spirit. Often their presence radiates out through an entire region, bringing life. This really is a sustainable form of help. These buildings root and strengthen the Christian presence.

And this enduring character is also the reason behind a major project we are funding in Iraq. The Nineveh reconstruction project is the largest single initiative that ACN has undertaken in itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 70 year history. In consultation with the local bishops we are planning to repair and rebuild the ruined homes of Christians in the Niniveh plains, this biblical land of faith, so that these Christian families can return to their home towns and villages. It is a project that sends out a powerful signal. We are already helping with medicines, food, mobile school classrooms and rent subsidies for these refugees. For these Christian communities have

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YEARS OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

been bled dry, as has their country also. A home, however small and simple, is a sign of security and of a better future for them. Thank you for helping these Christian families in need Thank you for supporting your brothers and sisters in Christ, Thank you for your fidelity and please continue to remember in your daily prayers all those who are suffering and being persecuted because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

Johannes Heereman, J F Declan Quinn Executive President Director, of ACN International ACN Ireland

Destruction by ISIS of Immaculate Church in Qaraqosh, Iraq.

1223 HOUSES TOTALLY DESTROYED

34 CHURCH PROPERTIES TOTALLY DESTROYED

3520 HOUSES BURNT

132 CHURCH PROPERTIES BURNT

8217 HOUSES PARTIALLY DAMAGED

197 CHURCH PROPERTIES PARTIALLY DAMAGED

FIND MORE INFORMATION ON THE NINEVEH RECONSTRUCTION INITIATIVE GO TO

ACNIRELAND.ORG/NINEVEH GIVE JOY, GIVE HOPE

PUTTING LOVE INTO PRACTICE

RETURNING TO THEIR ROOTS THE CHALLENGES

he challenges facing Christians in the Nineveh Plains are enormous: Currently, there are still 14,000 registered families who fled from Mosul and the In conjunction with the establishment of the NRC, ACN commissioned two surveys: a Nineveh plains living in Erbil (approximately damage assessment as well as a population intent survey. The conclusions are indicated in the following maps: 90,000 people), nearly 13.000 homes to be rebuilt, security concerns in the villages,

Kurdish-Iraqi political manoeuvring on the ground, infrastructure concerns (water, electricity, roads, schools and clinics) and most importantly the transition period The calculated cost estimate for reconstruction will be in excess of USD 250 million. The NRC between the end of monthly rentals and will allocate the funds gathered according to the property damage as calculated by the assessment. The NRC will further coordinate with local architects, engineers and food packages andconstruction the progress, move of conclusion these construction firms on the ground, monitor assure project and provide reporting to the respective funding sources. families to the restored villages. •

HOUSES DAMAGED, BURNED OR DESTROYED BY ISIS CHURCH PROPERTIES DAMAGED, BURNED OR DESTROYED BY ISIS 5 0 104

ALQOSH ALQOSH

69 95 1.104

1 1 19

520 105 342

11 4 28

231 56 156

MOSUL

BAQOFA BATNAYA TELESKUF TELEKEF

60 70 180

BAHZANI BAQOFA BATNAYA BASHIQUA

BAHZANI

TELEKEF

BARTELLA

MOSUL

BASHIQUA

KARMLES BARTELLA QARAQOSH / BAKHDEDA KARMLES

TIG

4 7 29

89 241 424 115 2.412 4.200

TELESKUF

94 347 1.372

QARAQOSH / BAKHDEDA

TIG

COST ESTIMATE FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF PRIVATE HOUSES

0 3

50 7 195 6 335

6 1 5

72 24

ERBIL ERBIL

TOTALLY DESTROYED 1.233 1 BURNT 3.520 TOTALLY DESTROYED 34 In 15 conjunction with the establishment of the NRC, ACN commissioned two surveys: a PARTIALLY DAMAGED 8.217 52 132 in BURNT damage assessment as well as a population intent survey. The conclusions are indicated TOTAL 12.970 197 PARTIALLY DAMAGED the following maps: TOTAL

4.485.000 2.508.000 8.490.864

TELESKUF

33.800.000 2.772.000 2.630.322

11 25 31

325.000 0 799.864

ALQOSH

363

DESTRUCTION CAUSED DURING THE ISLAMIC STATE OCCUPATION OF 9 CHRISTIAN VILLAGES IN NORTHERN IRAQ (2014 - 2017) DESTRUCTION CAUSED DURING ISLAMIC STATE OCCUPATION Source: survey carried out by ACN in THE the Nineveh Plains (excluding Mosul) OF 9 CHRISTIAN VILLAGES IN NORTHERN IRAQ (2014 - 2017)

BAQOFA BATNAYA

BAHZANI

TELEKEF

MOSUL

BASHIQUA

BARTELLA

15.015.000 1.478.400 1.199.796

3.900.000 1.848.000 1.384.380

KARMLES

QARAQOSH / BAKHDEDA

TIG

5.699.100 9.351.268 11.662.000

3.253.995 5.105.300 2.501.515

5.856.111 6.088.865 ERBIL The calculated cost estimate for reconstruction will be in excess of USD 250 million. The NRC 2.958.248

will allocate the funds gathered according to the property damage as calculated by the

7.534.188 assessment. The NRC will further coordinate with local architects, engineers and TOTALLY DESTROYED 60.931.237 79.868.394 construction firms on the ground, monitor construction progress, assure project conclusion 4.200 BURNT 90.083.070

and provide reporting to the respective funding sources. PARTIALLY DAMAGED TOTAL TOTAL= ADM.COSTS

HOUSES DAMAGED, BURNED OR DESTROYED BY ISIS

60.929.073 230.880.536 253.968.590

Source: survey carried out by ACN in the Nineveh Plains (excluding Mosul)

In the damage assessment survey engineering teams catalogued the level of destruction of almost 13,000 private homes – those that were burnt, destroyed or partially damaged by ISIS as wellChurch as the Properties damage todamaged schools, health andor religious (totally,clinics partially burnt): buildings. These findings constitute Churches a baseline34, survey, which as the foundation for the reconstruction costs. Chapels 6, serves Convents (active) 15, Monasteries (contemplative) 3, Shrines 6, Presbyteries (rectories) 10, Bishop’s residences 2, Parish offices 9, Parish compounds 4, 5 Seminaries 1, Catechetical centers 6, Pastoral centers 2, Cultural centers 4, Open ALQOSH 0 recreation areas 3, Sport centers 4, Liturg. sewing vestment centers 1, Multipurpose halls 21, Lecture halls 3, Internet halls 3, Post-funeral reception halls 5, Wedding104 reception halls 69 4, Church rental locations (general) 79, Church rental locations (for shops) 60 89, Orchards 7, 95 Cemeteries 10, Kindergartens (preschool) 13, Primary Schools 2, Nurseries 1,70Orphanages 2, TELESKUF BAQOFA 1.104 180 50 BATNAYA Clinics (dispensaries) 1, Libraries 9, Radio centers 1,BAHZANI Other 3. 195 520 363 TELEKEF TOTAL: BASHIQUA 105 342

231 56 156

MOSUL

BARTELLA

KARMLES QARAQOSH / BAKHDEDA

TIG

94 347 1.372

Source: survey carried out by ACN in the Nineveh Plains (excluding Mosul)

H.E. Timothaeus Moussa Al Shamany, Archbishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch; H.E. Yohanna Petros Mouche, Syriac Catholic Archbishop of Mosul; Fr. Andrzej Halemba, Aid to the Church in Need Middle East section; H.E. Nicodemus Daoud Matti Sharaf, SyriacALQOSH Orthodox Metropolitan of 325.000 Mosul, Kirkuk and Kurdistan and H.E. Mikha Pola Maqdassi, Chaldean Catholic 0Bishop of 799.864 Alqosh. 4.485.000 2.508.000 8.490.864 33.800.000 2.772.000 2.630.322

89 241 424 115 2.412 4.200

335

ESTIMATE FOR RECONSTRUCTION DESTRUCTION CAUSED DURING THE ISLAMIC STATE OCCUPATION TheCOST establishment of the Nineveh OF 9 CHRISTIAN VILLAGES IN NORTHERN IRAQ (2014 - 2017) OF PRIVATE HOUSES Reconstruction Committee (NRC). Founding signatories are, from leftto right:

ERBIL

TOTALLY DESTROYED PARTIALLY DAMAGED

1.233 3.520 8.217

TOTAL

12.970

BURNT

15.015.000 1.478.400 1.199.796

TELEKEF

MOSUL

3.900.000 1.848.000 1.384.380

BAHZANI BASHIQUA

BARTELLA

KARMLES

QARAQOSH / BAKHDEDA

TIG

5.699.100 9.351.268 11.662.000

Source: survey carried out by ACN in the Nineveh Plains (excluding Mosul)

Aid to the Church in Need

3.253.995 5.105.300 2.501.515

5.856.111 6.088.865

4.200

In the damage assessment survey engineering teams catalogued the level of destruction of

BAQOFA BATNAYA

2.958.248 Destruction of the Sacred Heart 7.534.188 Chaldean 60.931.237 Church, Telkef, Iraq.

DESTRUCTION CAUSED DURING THE ISLAMIC STATE OCCUPATION OF 9 CHRISTIAN VILLAGES IN NORTHERN IRAQ (2014 - 2017)

TELESKUF

ERBIL

TOTALLY DESTROYED BURNT PARTIALLY DAMAGED TOTAL TOTAL= ADM.COSTS

79.868.394 90.083.070 60.929.073 230.880.536 253.968.590

DESTRUCTION CAUSED DURING THE ISLAMIC STATE OCCUPATION

YEARS OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

#RedWednesday 2017 STAND UP FOR FAITH AND FREEDOM on Wednesday 22 November 2017

This autumn we are asking you to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians and all who suffer for their peacefully held beliefs. We will be holding a week of events from 19 – 26 November with #RedWednesday as the highlight on Wednesday 22 November.

Fr. Ragheed Ganni Martyred in Mosul in 2007.

Red is the Christian colour of martyrdom. Christians are the most persecuted faith group in today’s world and #RedWednesday will honour all Christians who suffer and die for their faithfulness to Christ’s message of peace and love. #RedWednesday will shine a light on Christian persecution but also highlight the injustices perpetrated against other faith groups.

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WE WANT TO RETURN AND REBUILD OUR HOME ‘Aid to the Church in Need’s sponsored agreement between the three Christian Churches is a good sign, a sign of genuine hope for the re-population of the Nineveh plains with displaced Christian families.’

ister Luma Khuder and Sister Nazek Matty, both Dominican sisters of Saint Catherine of Siena, originally from the convent of Our Lady of the Rosary in Teleskuf, to the north of Mosul, see it as encouraging sign that the Christian Churches in Iraq are committed to the rebuilding of the Christian villages of the plains of Nineveh, which were destroyed by ISIS. On 27 March 2017, the Syriac Catholic Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Chaldean Catholic Church in association with Aid to the Church in Need formally established a committee, the Nineveh

Reconstruction Committee (NRC), whose task is to oversee and plan the repair and rebuilding of almost 13,000 family homes. Before the summer of 2014 the Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine of Siena had convents in several different towns on the Nineveh plains. Then the extremist fighters of ISIS arrived and together with around 70 or so fellow Dominican sisters, Sister Luma and Sister Nazek found themselves internal refugees in the autonomous Kurdish -controlled region of northeast Iraq. ‘In 2014, as soon as we had arrived in Erbil’, explains Sister Luma, ‘we began distributing food, milk and nappies. We set up “emergency convents” in order to be as close as possible to the Christian refugees, to serve them and accompany them.’

Restoration of Immaculate Mary convent in favour of Dominican Sisters of St Catherine of Siena.

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YEARS OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

‘In 2015, just as soon as the refugees were housed in more permanent lodgings, we opened two schools, one in Ankawa, to the north of Erbil, and the other in Dohuk. There are 600 children at the school in Erbil, ranging in age from 6 to 13. We also opened a nursery school, which has 392 children in it. These centres are financed by ACN among others. We depend totally on their aid.’ By now the situation is starting to change, and ‘the number of internal refugees in Kurdistan is slowly decreasing’ notes Sister Nazek. ‘There is no longer any danger in Teleskuf, and a number of families have now returned to their homes’, she explains. And Sister Luma adds: ‘ACN is starting to rebuild the homes, including those in Teleskuf. ISIS only stayed in the village for a short time, and so the houses are not too badly damaged. We are also repairing our convent of Our Lady of the Rosary in Teleskuf, with the help of ACN. We want to return there as soon as possible together with the people, who are tired by now of living far from home.’ ‘We know that since January 2017 around 450 families have returned to Teleskuf, and many others are preparing to return’, explains Father Andrzej Halemba, who heads the project section of ACN for the Middle East and is likewise acting chairman of the Nineveh Reconstruction Committee. ‘Today, of all the villages on the plains of Nineveh, Teleskuf is the safest. The area

is in fact controlled by the Kurdish army. We are hoping that the return of the Christian families to Teleskuf will have a “domino effect” on the families from the other villages, who are still hesitating to return for fear that the situation is not yet altogether secure. ACN will be contributing over €40,000 towards the cost of restoring the Dominican convent in Teleskuf. The sisters need to return as soon as possible, for the families have need of them.’ Over the Nineveh plains as a whole there are 363 Church properties that were attacked by ISIS and which now need to be repaired or rebuilt. Of these 34 have been totally destroyed, 132 were set on fire and 197 are partly damaged. In Teleskuf alone we have counted 1,104 private homes and 21 Church properties that have been damaged by ISIS. •

Sister Nazek Matty and Sister Luma Khuder of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena.

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ASSESSING THE DAMAGE AFTER ISIS

don’t understand how people can harm each other so much,’ sighs security guard Louis Petrus. Today, Louis has returned to his hometown for the first time: the Christian city of Qaraqosh, near Mosul, which he had to flee on 6 August 2014, when ISIS occupied the city.

oughly, and that can only start when the city is safe. Last week, a jihadist emerged from the tunnel system which ISIS has built underneath the city. The red brigade of the army immediately shot and killed him: the boy – jihadist was only thirteen years old.’

‘Look at my house: it is damaged, most of my furniture has been stolen and my household effects are broken. Other inhabitants of Qaraqosh had prepared me for what I would find in the city. I had heard stories and seen pictures of the destruction caused by the jihadists. Now that I am seeing the city with my own eyes, I do not know what to feel.

In Qaraqosh as elsewhere in the Nineveh plain, ISIS jihadists enthusiastically used abused and destroyed Christian churches writing battle instructions on the walls.

ISIS terrorists have destroyed a lot of my possessions, but I am still quite well off, considering the damage that I can see in my neighbours’ houses: many houses have been burned or even completely destroyed. I have been blessed.’

I WANT TO RETURN

When Catholic priest Fr. Sharbil Eeso (72) returned to the liberated city of Qaraqosh, he found only destruction in the seminary, destruction caused by ISIS ‘We are not allowed to clear up the mess yet,’ he says, while he shakes off the dust from his recently recovered priestly headwear. ‘First, the damage needs to be assessed carefully and documented thor-

The St. George’s Church Syrian Catholic was transformed into a bomb factory, which was in full use up until the hasty retreat of ISIS. Hundreds of bombs and grenades, in all shapes and sizes, are lying there, waiting to be fired. In addition to that, the church now contains deadly recipes, which, if used in the right proportions, can turn the chemicals stashed in the church into deadly explosives. ‘Despite all the suffering and damage, I have hope for the future,’ says Father Sharbil, laughing. ‘If our security is guaranteed, Christians can continue to live in Iraq. European Christians should do their best to keep us safe. I want to return to Qaraqosh when there is electricity and water again, although I think that safety is the main condition for returning.’

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YEARS OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE IRAQ, THIS IS MY PLACE

Louis Petrus (61) also firmly intends to return to Qaraqosh: ‘I don’t want to leave Iraq, unless all the inhabitants stay away and leave. But if two or three families return to Qaraqosh, I will too. This is my country. As soon as it is safe in the city and we receive permission to live here again, I want to rebuild my life in Qaraqosh. This is my place, I shall remain here until I die.’

SECURITY CONCERNS

The Assyrian Member of Parliament Yacoob G. Yaco travels to liberated territory almost on a daily basis, to stay informed on the progress at the front and the security situation in the liberated territory. He also encourages the volunteers of the Assyrian Army: the NPU. Both he and General Faris Abderlahad Yacub (54), who coordinates the tasks of the volunteer army in the Nineveh plain have lost confidence in the Kurdish Peshmerga, because they abandoned them when ISIS invaded their cities and villages. That is why they are convinced of the importance of a security

army and a Christian oasis in the Nineveh plain. As one of the five permanent Christian members of the Kurdish parliament, Yacoob represents the Iraqi Christian community. ‘There is a lot of unease among Iraqi Christians (about future border corrections),’ he tells us. ‘The Kurds support Iraq in their battle against ISIS and the recapture of Mosul and the surrounding cities and villages. The inhabitants appreciate that, but many of the Christians suspect the Iraqi government of giving the Kurds land in return. The Kurds dig deep canals and build high fences that, according to them, are meant to stop ISIS. In the meantime, the Kurds and the Iraqi government deny being promised territory for support and they assure the Christians that no deals were made about the land. But the canals and fences are not built on Kurdish land, but on the Nineveh plain. Many Christians suspect that this border is not temporary, but the start of a permanent border correction.’ •

Louis Petrus in his burned house.

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FREE FROM ISIS AND FREE TO GO HOME

n late 2016 Ismail (17) fled the Iraqi city of Mosul with his mother Jandark Behnam Mansour Nassi (55), after they had survived the terror of ISIS for over two years. Ismail and Jandark now live in Erbil, in the Iraqi Kurdish Autonomous Region. They give us a first hand account of the evil of ISIS. ‘My mother and I were at home in Bartella, one of the Christian villages in the Nineveh Plane’ says Ismail. ‘When we woke up one August morning in 2014, the city had been taken by ISIS. We tried to get away, but we were robbed by the Jihadists, captured and taken to Mosul.’ ‘I was very afraid,’ says his mother Jandark, a widow. ‘Our names were written down, and we had no idea where we were and what would happen to us. We were completely shut off from the outside world. Shortly after,

we received permission to return to Bartella, but at a check-point we were forced to convert to Islam and when we refused, they beat us. My son was put in prison. He was only fourteen years old at the time.’ ‘I was put in the prison of Bartella,’ confirms Ismail. ‘One day a Shiite was shot right in front of me.’ The terrorists told me: ‘If you do not convert to Islam, we will shoot you as well’. That is when I converted to Islam. ‘From that time on, we concealed that we were Christians’. Ismail was released and, with his mother, dragged from pillar to post: from Bartella, to multiple neighbourhoods in Mosul. ‘We received a paper from ISIS stating that we were Muslims,’ continues Ismail. ‘That way, I could go on the street in Mosul, but on the streets, you could not be sure of your life. Once, I was beaten up because my trousers were too long.’ ‘Once, when I was going to the mosque with the Jihadists early in the morning, our path was blocked. Suddenly we were passed by men in orange suits, held at gunpoint by a group of ISIS children. The children executed the prisoners with pleasure.’

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YEARS OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

‘Another time I ran into a big crowd on the street. There was a woman; her hands and feet were tied. The ISIS terrorists drew a circle around her. If she got out of the circle, she would live, but that was impossible because she was completely tied up. While her relatives were crying and begging for a pardon, the Jihadists stoned her to death.’ ‘ISIS made me go to a correctional camp. I had to grow out my hair and grow my beard. My mother got a black, concealing robe, but was not allowed to go on the streets. ISIS warriors wanted me to marry, so I would be one of them. I objected, stating that I was too young: fifteen at that time. They were not impressed, because even boys of thirteen were married. The terrorists wanted me to join them. They were convinced: “our state will survive everything.”’ ‘My son was forced by ISIS to practice Islam and I was tortured for not knowing anything about Islam and the Koran,’ says his mother, Jandark. ‘Yes, I am embarrassed for having had to profess Islam,’ affirms Ismail. ‘ISIS warriors made me pray to Allah,’ says Ismail. ‘I received a prayer rug on which I could call upon Allah. Men were obligated to pray in the mosque on Friday. Anyone who would walk on the streets during the Friday prayer would be beaten. In the mosque, we were told that Assyrians were evil and that Christians did not believe in the right way. My mother should have to pray at home but she did not pray to Allah.’

‘Then the ISIS warriors found my necklace with a cross, a sign that I am a Christian. The Jihadists beat me and I had to study the Koran for a month. I was hit whenever I could not answer their questions the way they wanted me to, and my mother was physically punished because she had not studied anything from the Koran.’ ‘One day we heard that Qaraqosh – another Christian village in the Nineveh plain occupied by ISIS – had been freed, and that the liberation troops had chased the Jihadists out of Bartella. Soon after that the air attacks on Mosul started, and many people fled. ISIS also fled and, in the hurry, even left some weapons. However, they did take people with them on their way through Mosul, including my mother and me. For three days, we were under the control of a Jihadist.’ ‘When the terrorists grew too busy with the battle, they abandoned us. Again, we heard about the advancing army. We managed to escape to the front, heading towards our freedom, but Jihadists blocked us. Later, we tried again to escape and when we ended up at the front: ISIS snipers tried to shoot us. We ran for cover into a house. After hours of fighting, my mother and I were able to leave the house, waving a white flag. Soldiers of the Iraqi liberation army welcomed us. We were free!’ Free from ISIS and now free to go home •

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THE WAY OF PEACE ‘There can be no religious justification for violence, in whatever way it may manifest itself. … Dialogue is the way of peace.’

hese words of Pope Francis, given at an international peace meeting in Rome on 30 September 2013, have not fallen on deaf ears. They are being translated into practical action in a range of different initiatives, almost all of them initiated by Christians. In the Catholic run Al-Liqa Centre in Jerusalem, Israel, Christians and Jews, and Christians and Muslims meet together. Al-Liqa means ‘encounter’ and the centre organises talks, discussion forums, youth meetings and workshops for believers of all religions. The discussions are altogether down to earth and practical. The young people deal with the concrete issues such as ‘Life in a pluralistic society’.

And the dialogue is continued in the quarterly Al-Liqa Journal, in which leading figures from all three monotheistic religions write on such topics as the family in Islam, the Christian presence in Israel, teaching values, and so forth. Particular attention is paid to the theme of the dignity and role of women – a sensitive topic for some Islamic representatives. But the dialogue continues, leading to mutual understanding and not infrequently even to real friendships. Only thanks to your generosity can the centre continue its precious work. Right now they are asking us for financial help. But they are sowing seeds of reconciliation in a region beset by violence and war. Similarly in Nigeria, the Church is working tirelessly to promote reconciliation through interreligious dialogue. A precondition here is not only to know one’s own Christian faith

Understanding and reaching out to others: dialogue in Israel and Nigeria.

Aid to the Church in Need

YEARS OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

but also Islamic beliefs. This is the purpose of the workshops for priests, seminarians, religious and catechists in the diocese of Osogbo in the southwest of the country. The population here is approximately two thirds Muslim and the Islam-dominated state is putting pressure on other faiths. Compulsory measures like full body clothing for female pupils, even in the Catholic schools, make dialogue more difficult. Once again it is the Christians who are responding.

Workshops can help address these issues, and Father Akinkunmi sent us a detailed programme, which we plan to support with a contribution. ‘We religious leaders are called to work for peace’, said Pope Francis at the meeting in Rome. This can only happen, he said, ‘through dialogue and prayer. Both belong together, for dialogue has its roots in something beyond our own strength.’ •

THE CHAPEL IS THEIR JEWEL

ometimes it takes Father Camillo a day or two longer to get there. Sometimes he has to take a roundabout route, when the heavy rains leave the dirt tracks in this part of Burma simply impassable and his motorcycle becomes increasingly unreliable. But he will get there in the end. He always does; you can depend on him. The 500 or so Catholics in his parish in the archdiocese of Taunggyi know this. Once a month he travels to its remote villages to celebrate with them and make Christ present among them, to pray with them and hear confessions. And he travels every week to the three principal villages of Sain Lian, Wankan and Naung Kwe. Usually the faithful are waiting for him in their basic wooden chapels, the centres of spiritual life in this mission territory. But the chapel in Wankan has deteriorated and needs to be renovated. In the past

The jewel of Wankan: its real glory lies within, of course.

it would have been no problem to fund a chapel here, for the gemstone mining in this region was a steady source of income. But now the mines have closed and the people are forced to live on what they can grow in their fields. Today the real gemstone, the real jewel in their lives, is their chapel. Father Camillo asks our help to repair it. It will cost €4,450, little enough for such a centre of saving grace. So let’s not keep Father Camillo and his • parishioners waiting any longer.

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MAKING SPACE FOR MISSION ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us’ (Jn 1:14). The Word came to us in our own time and space – and was subject to our human necessities.

Our Lady Queen of the Holy Rosary would dearly love to be able to explain the Gospel message to the children and young people and pray with them.

And there are also many adults who want to hear it. In fact, there have been Christians in Lamalera for 130 years now. But the sisters want to give a concrete expression to the phrase ‘dwelt among us’. They need a convent, where Christ can dwell.

hese necessities are real. The Gospel message only needs the embrace of willing hearts. But those who go out bearing this message need spaces and places in which to make it known. Spaces where people can gather, spaces where the Word itself can be proclaimed, small libraries and, of course, spaces of quiet and of prayer. In Indonesia, in the fishing village of Lamalera on the island of Lembata, the Daughters of

They have asked our help so that they can build this convent, together with a classroom and a reading room, and at

Aid to the Church in Need

YEARS OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

the same time they plan to document the history of the island and the story of how the Jesuits first called the islanders to follow Christ. Certainly, there is no shortage of work. Sister Maria Simprosa lists some examples: ‘Two kindergartens, three primary schools, two secondary schools – our mission in Lamalera includes educational, pastoral and social work.’ So the Word is putting down roots here, and is recognised by its fruit and works. For as Saint John Paul II wrote, with reference to the new millennium: ‘The charity of works ensures an unmistakable efficacy to the charity • of words.’

The children are waiting, and so are they: for a convent and a home for the gospel message.

THE SUFFERING LORD BRINGS HEALING ‘Love transforms the soul and makes it free.’ So wrote Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.

n Grodno, Belarus, many people are now experiencing this liberating effect. Father Czeslaw tells of miraculous conversions in his retreat centre with its image of the suffering Jesus. And the centre is not even finished yet! Nonetheless, more and more people are coming here with their problems – and broken marriages are given new life, childless couples suddenly find they are expecting and people facing crises and despair find solace in their lives. The suffering Lord brings healing are finding new courage and confidence

before the image of the suffering Jesus. Father Czeslaw has built up the centre around this image into something of a place of pilgrimage. So many people are hungering and thirsting for love, and many of them can be helped, in the confessional and through prayer. But they also need their ‘daily bread’, and the centre is still lacking its large kitchen. We have promised our help for love to be put into practice. •

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YOUR THOUGHTS... A WONDERFUL ENTERPRISE

EMMA’S BIRTHDAY MONEY

ACN is a charity that helps practically, on the ground, where the need is greatest. It is quite a wonderful enterprise with an extraordinary founder.

Enclosed is our 15 year old daughter Emma’s annual gift from her birthday money. May God continue to shower abundant blessings on your good work. Please keep us in prayers.

A benefactor in Germany

A benefactress in the United States

A GIFT OF ALMS FOR THE VICTIMS OF WAR LITTLE STREAMS FLOW INTO MIGHTY RIVERS

A benefactress in South Korea

A benefactress in Portugal

WHAT THE SAINTS SAY...

My old father keeps telling me what he’d experienced during the Korean War. Since his hometown was close to the border he wasn’t able to flee so he suffered a lot. His story is heartbreaking made me think about how painful it must be for those who are now still enduring war. So it is that I am sending you a little donation to help our brothers and sisters in Syria who today are suffering in the fire of war.

Dear friends, enclosed is €20 to help with your mission. Since I am unemployed and have no income I can’t contribute much. But I keep putting a little bit aside so that I can give some help. It is not much, but it is given gladly and little streams do flow into mighty rivers! May God continue to help me, help you.

‘Holiness is not the luxury of the few; it is simply a duty both for you and for me.’ Mother Theresa of Calcutta Quote selected by Eddie Cotter, founder

ead heologians ociety www.DeadTheologiansSociety.com Aid to the Church in Need

YEARS OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

...OUR THANKS Dear Friends,

od’s loving care is humbling. Once again our income has increased – to the level of €129 million. Of course, we strive in our appeals and campaigns – both in the media and on social networks – to draw attention to the plight of Christians around the world and raise funds to relieve or alleviate their distress. But if God did not touch the hearts of our benefactors – your hearts – all this effort would be no more than ‘sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal’, as we hear in 1 Corinthians (13:1). It is love that moves us. Caritas Christi urget nos – the love of Christ compels us (2 Cor 5:14). It is God Himself who helps His Church, through us. Or rather, who moves your hearts and who, thanks to your generosity, entrusts this pontifical charity with the means to help His priests, His seminarians, His religious

sisters and brothers and His lay faithful in 148 different countries and in half of the world’s dioceses. We thank you – but we also thank God who has made us all into instruments of His mercy and into a community of love. The figures in this annual report for 2016 show you where Aid to the Church in Need is working and what it is doing. (Further information is also available on our website, see www.acnireland.org) But of course, figures do not tell the whole story – nor can your generosity and heroic sacrifices be reduced to statistics. What the work of our charity needs above all is your prayer – as in all these situations it is God who acts.

Johannes Freiherr Heereman,

Executive President of ACN International

WHERE TO SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTION FOR THE CHURCH IN NEED Please use the Freepost envelope.

IBAN IE32 BOFI 9005 7890 6993 28 BIC BOFI IE2D

Aid to the Church in Need,

info@acnireland.org

If you give by standing order, or have sent a donation recently, please accept our sincere thanks. This MIRROR is for your interest and information.

www.acnireland.org

Registered Charity Numbers: (RoI) 9492 (NI) XR96620.

151 St. Mobhi Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 9.

(01) 837 7516

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‘Our gratitude to God impels us to hasten to the help of others’. ACN Ecclesiastical Assistant

‘The Eucharist is a precious nourishment for faith: an encounter with Christ truly present in the supreme act of His love, the life-giving gift of Himself.’

Apostolic letter Lumen Fidei

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