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Because Faith Gives Hope. « Activity Report 2020 Imprint First Published in 2021 by ACN Aid to the Church in Need International Ggmbh Bischof-Kindermann-Str

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Because Faith Gives Hope. « Activity Report 2020 Imprint First Published in 2021 by ACN Aid to the Church in Need International Ggmbh Bischof-Kindermann-Str » Because faith gives hope. « Activity Report 2020 Imprint First published in 2021 by ACN Aid to the Church in Need International gGmbH Bischof-Kindermann-Str. 23, 61462 Königstein/Ts., GERMANY Represented by Philipp Ozores, Secretary General First edition. Title: Philippine Archbishop Socrates Villegas Copyright carries the crucifix in the Palm Sunday procession ACN Aid to the Church in Need International during the Corona pandemic. Dear friends and supporters, In 2020, the words “salvation” and were loud pleas for help. Because of “healing” have taken on new meaning the pandemic, need has increased all for all of humanity. The pandemic, which over the world. Many afflicted Christians has left no one untouched, has made us continued to navigate true Stations of painfully aware of how little we humans the Cross during this time, marked by can rely on our own strength and how poverty, exclusion and persecution. much we depend on the salvation and Africa, in particular, has once again healing that God provides. become a “continent of martyrs” in 2020. Many of us are grieving the loss of loved Through your help, dear benefactors and ones. Social isolation, fear of infection, friends, the goodness of God became concern for loved ones and, not least, tangible for our brothers and sisters. distressing restrictions on Church life have marked 2020. Despite all this, it We pray for you and all the people you was also a year in which we were able to hold dear in your hearts that God will experience the grace of God in a special reward you for your generosity and way. This is also true for us at ACN: As protect you during these continuing never before, we have felt how much we, dramatic times of the pandemic. our benefactors and project partners Simultaneously, we also ask for your form a big spiritual family, close to each prayers for all those who are at risk of other in prayer and supportive of one collapsing underneath their cross. May another. Together we have experienced the Mother of God help us to become a the wonderful spiritual reality of the selfless Simon of Cyrene for them. communion of saints! I extend heartfelt greetings to you with We were able to experience how our my blessings. benefactors, despite their own suffering and difficulties – frequently economic Kind regards, – have opened their hearts even more generously than ever before to the needs of their sisters and brothers in faith. This shows us that even in times that seem dark to us, God gives us the light of his grace and enacts in us the miracles of his love. Mauro Cardinal Piacenza President of the Papal We have received many pleas of distress Foundation Aid to the Church from numerous local churches. These in Need Preface | ACN Activity Report 2020 | 1 2 | ACN Activity Report 2020 » I cordially bless you all. « Dear friends, may the Lord make your prayers and your commitment to the mission of the Church always nurture more fruit throughout the world, especially where it is suffering from spiritual and material needs or is discrim- inated against and persecuted. I cordially bless you all. Pope Francis to the members and benefactors of Aid to the Church in Need at the general audience on 2 October 2013, in Rome As a Pontifical Foundation, Aid to the Church in Need has the mandate to act on behalf of the Church. ACN Activity Report 2020 | 3 About us Learn more about Aid to the Church in Need on the following pages: How we were formed and the history of our mission; what we are com- mitted to; our funding priorities in 2020. 4 | ACN Activity Report 2020 | About us pp. 4–7 About us p p. 44–45 Our regional activities in 2020 pp. 8–9 Origins and mission pp. 46–59 Latin America pp. 10–15 Organisation, facts and figures pp. 60–77 Africa pp. 16–17 Coronavirus pandemic pp. 78–89 Middle East pp. 90–101 Europe pp. 18–19 Our task areas pp. 102–113 Asia/Oceania pp. 20–21 Mass stipends p. 22 Training of priests and religious pp. 114–115 Index p. 23 Safeguarding pp. 116–117 Our mission, our vision and our values p. 24 Existence help for religious pp. 118–119 Donation cycle p. 25 Faith formation of laity p. 120 Our history p. 26 Construction and reconstruction of church facilities p. 121 Our organisational structure p. 27 Means of transport for pastoral care pp. 28–29 Emergency assistance in cases of war, displacement, Cover back Aid to the Church in Need – contacts worldwide violence and natural catastrophes pp. 30–31 Distribution of Bibles and religious books pp. 32–41 Advocacy, Public Relations pp. 42–43 Media support for the propagation of faith About us | ACN Activity Report 2020 | 5 » Aid to the Church in Need helps Christians around the world who are persecuted by violence and oppressed by terror. « Thomas Heine-Geldern, Executive President From its beginnings, the Church has always tained through their own resources, or if so, provided care for those in need. In addition only with great difficulty. In many of these to its pastoral mission, it is committed to countries, monetary donations are the only sponsoring social assistance organisations source of income for the Church. worldwide and supporting those in need in many crisis areas. Unlike most charities working to alleviate social needs, Aid to the Church in Need But many do not realise that the Church concentrates on supporting local churches, itself often requires urgent help, mainly thereby upholding the ideals of Christian in developing countries and among those charity. affected by displacement, persecution or catastrophe. According to our calcula- Founded in 1947 as a Catholic aid organ- tions, close to 70% of the world popula- isation for war refugees and recognised tion live in countries without full access to as a Pontifical Foundation since 2011, Aid religious freedom, and 50% of the world to the Church in Need is dedicated to the population live in countries with outright service of Christians around the world, persecution. The fundamental right of wherever they are persecuted or oppressed religious freedom is not guaranteed in or suffering material need. This is enabled more than 62 countries. entirely through the generosity of private donors, as our foundation receives no More than 400 million Christians live in public funding. countries with religious persecution.Here the Church’s infrastructure and the human Together with hundreds of thousands of dignity of the faithful cannot be main- benefactors and project partners, we sup- port Christians around the world under our guiding principle “information, prayer and » I am so grateful for all that you are doing to action”. In addition, we are committed to religious freedom and reconciliation across help our suffering people. May our Lord bless all faiths. Our long-standing experience and you, and our brothers and sisters in Christ. « belief in the power of charity encourage us Sr Annie Demerjian, to continue on this path and to inspire peo- project partner, Syria ple about our work around the globe. 6 | ACN Activity Report 2020 | About us Church in Need – our name says it all Over the 74 years since its foundation, And the list of areas in which we are Aid to the Church in Need has developed asked to help continues to grow: into an aid organisation with a broad range of tasks. Today, we can rightly Mass stipends (→ p. 20) claim that our name says it all. We now Training of priests support some 4,760 Catholic projects and religious (→ p. 22) each year in 138 countries – many of these over the long term. In this way, we Existential help frequently remain in crisis areas much for religious (→ p. 24) longer than other aid organisations. Faith formation of laity (→ p. 25) Of course, this requires not only person- nel and logistical resources, but also the Construction and reconstruction necessary financial means. Only through of church facilities (→ p. 26) the donations of over 345,000 benefac- Means of transport tors in 23 countries are we able to fulfil for pastoral care (→ p. 27) our mission of providing and promoting pastoral assistance. Emergency assistance in cases of war, displacement, violence and natural catastrophes (→ p. 28) Distribution of Bibles, religious books and media (→ p. 30) Advocacy (→ p. 32) Media support for the propagation of faith (→ p. 42) About us | ACN Activity Report 2020 | 7 » Whatever you did for the least of my brothers and sisters, you did for me. « Mt 25:40 The roots of Aid to the Church in Need go the Second World War, our organisation back to the period following the Second operated in the spirit of reconciliation World War. Europe lay in ruins, with from the very beginning. millions of people displaced, traumatised, homeless and plagued by hunger. Among One of the first steps it took was to those suffering most were German- organise food and clothing for war speaking refugees from Central and refugees in Germany, as well as providing Eastern Europe. them with pastoral care. Initially the task seemed nearly impossible – especially In this time of great need, Father considering that those from whom Werenfried van Straaten founded – donations were sought were themselves at the behest of Pope Pius XII – the victims of the German war occupation in organisation Aid to the Eastern Priests Belgium and the Netherlands. However, (“Ostpriesterhilfe”) at the Premonstraten- with passionate calls for reconciliation sian monastery in Tongerlo, Belgium. This and brotherly love, Father Werenfried later became the papal aid organisation succeeded in bringing about a wave of that we know today as Aid to the Church charity.
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