During a visit to the regions affected by the earthquake, the Apostolic Nuncio to Syria says that he saw “a sea of pain”.

Despite the horror caused by the earthquake that devastated large parts of Northern Syria, there are signs of hope, especially in the way Syrians have come together in a show of unity and solidarity not seen since before the Civil War.

Shocked and with their houses destroyed or damaged, many families have taken to sleeping in churches, convents, or even hospitals. Faced with yet another tragedy, Syrians ask for an end to sanctions.

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is appealing for prayer amid alarming reports of two earthquakes killing more than 1,200 people and causing havoc in north-west Syria and south Turkey.

Sister Beta Almendra, a Portuguese Comboni missionary in Wau, South Sudan, can hardly hide her excitement at the visit of Pope Francis, which began on Friday, 3 February.

Aid to the Church in Need has just completed its 14th session of The Night of Witnesses, a series of prayer vigils organised in five French towns to pay tribute to all the priests and religious killed during the year because of their faith.

On 31 January Pope Francis landed in Kinshasa for a short visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He departed for Juba, South Sudan, on 3 February, and then back to Rome on 5 February.

Fr Isaac Azekpili Achi was brutally murdered on January 15, when his home in Kafin Koro was attacked by unidentified armed men. After forcing their way into the residence, the criminals shot Fr Isaac and wounded his colleague, Fr Collins.

ACN had recently cooperated with the parish in which church warden Diego Valencia was murdered

Only days after a terrorist attack on a Protestant church in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Marcelo Oliveira, a Combonian who works as a missionary in the African country, denounced the silence of the international community.

“We must have faith to rebuild the village, and you are a sign of that faith”, Archbishop Thabet told dozens of Dominican sisters gathered for the inauguration of their new Convent of Saint Joseph.

Fr Isaac Achi was reportedly burned by unknown gunmen, and his assistant Fr Colins Omeh sustained gunshot wounds. Reports also emerged of the kidnapping of another priest in Southern Nigeria this Sunday.

Jacques Mourad lived as a prisoner of the Islamic State for five months before managing to escape to freedom. Now he has been appointed Syriac Catholic Archbishop of Homs.

The new Sateré language edition of ACN’s Child Bible is more than an instrument for deepening the faith, it also helps preserve the indigenous people’s language and culture.

Burkina Faso has seen an unprecedented increase in terrorism since 2015 and on 2 January a priest was murdered in the northwest of the country.

During his traditional speech to diplomats, Pope Francis warned of increasing intolerance towards Christians even in countries where they are not a minority.

A recent attack on two Christian villages in northern Mozambique left two people dead and four injured and caused unrest among the local population, with many people leaving their homes in search of safety.

May he rest in peace!