Rome Newsroom, Apr 27, 2021 / 07:00 am
A pontifical charity has announced more than $9.5 million in aid for persecuted Christians in African countries facing increased extremist violence.
“Christians have been targeted by Islamic extremists in many countries in Africa. In no other region have so many priests, religious and church workers been murdered in the last three years,” Mario Oliver of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) said in the announcement.
The aid will fund trauma rehabilitation for victims of kidnapping and violence, help rebuild churches destroyed by terrorism, promote interreligious dialogue initiatives, and provide logistical support and spiritual retreats for priests and religious sisters who minister under dangerous conditions.
Christian communities in Nigeria, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, Niger, and the Central African Republic are listed among the recipients of the “Heal the wounds of religious extremism in Africa” campaign.