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Libya

A screen grab from a video shared with ACI Africa that shows the parish house at St. Raphael Fadan Kamantan Catholic Church of the Diocese of Kafanchan in flames Sept. 7, 2023. | Credit: ACI Africa

Here’s where Christians continued to face persecution in 2023

Dec 30, 2023

Christians have been persecuted by adversarial groups since the time of the apostles, and in varied parts of the world Christians continue to face existential threats. TRANSLATE with x English Arabic Hebrew Polish Bulgarian Hindi Portuguese Catalan Hmong Daw Romanian Chinese Simplified Hungarian Russian Chinese Traditional Indonesian Slovak Czech Italian Slovenian Danish Japanese Spanish Dutch Klingon Swedish English Korean Thai Estonian Latvian Turkish Finnish Lithuanian Ukrainian French Malay Urdu German Maltese Vietnamese Greek Norwegian Welsh Haitian Creole Persian   //   TRANSLATE with COPY THE URL BELOW Back EMBED THE SNIPPET BELOW IN YOUR SITE Enable collaborative features and customize widget: Bing Webmaster Portal Back //

A priest surveys the damage caused by ISIS at a Catholic Church in Karamles, Iraq. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Stephen Rasche

Pope Francis Criticizes West for Trying to Export "its own type of democracy"

Oct 23, 2023

“Saddam Hussein was certainly not a little angel, on the contrary,” Francis said, “but Iraq was a fairly stable country.”

Pope Francis gives his Angelus address on Oct. 24, 2021. Vatican Media

Pope Francis Appeals That Migrants Not Be Sent Back to Unsafe Countries

Oct 24, 2021

Pope Francis called on the international community to stop deporting migrants to unsafe countries.

Migrants on an overcrowded boat awaiting help/ Credit: Courtesy Photo

Caritas Internationalis Urges Protection for Migrants After Boat Capsizes off Libyan Coast

May 2, 2021

Following the capsizing of a boat off the coast of Libya, the April 22-23 incident that left at least 130 migrants dead, the leadership of the global confederation of Catholic relief agencies, Caritas Internationalis (CI), has called for the setting up of mechanisms to safeguard the rights of migrants. 

Icon of the 21 Martyrs of Libya. Image courtesy of Tony Rezk, via tonyrezk.blogspot.com

Pope Francis Praises Coptic Orthodox Martyrs as "saints of all Christians"

Feb 15, 2021

Pope Francis has praised the courageous witness of the 21 Coptic Orthodox Christians killed by ISIS in 2015, calling them “saints of all Christians.”

Bishop John MacWilliams, of Algeria's Diocese of Laghouat

Why Africa’s Largest Diocese Has Only 12 Priests, All Non-native

Dec 27, 2020

At slightly over 2 million square kilometers, the Diocese of Laghouat, located in the Southern part of Algeria, is the largest diocese in Africa and arguably one of the largest dioceses in the world, only rivalled by the Catholic Diocese of Irkutsk in Russia, which measures 9.96 million square kilometers.

Map of Ethiopia showing Tigray region.

Pope Francis “following with concerns” Conflict in Ethiopia, Calls for Ceasefire in Libya

Nov 9, 2020

Pope Francis says he is “following with concerns” the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia pitting the federal government against the local authorities of the country’s northernmost Tigray region.

CERNA members identify Pope Francis’ New Encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, and the forthcoming canonization of Blessed Charles de Foucauld as two events important for the Church in North Africa.

Bishops in North Africa Acknowledge Two Recent Events that “shed a new, joyful light”

Nov 8, 2020

Members of the Regional Episcopal Conference of North Africa (CERNA) have acknowledged with appreciation two events in recent times that have had a positive impact in their region.

Relatives of 18 fishermen detained in Libya and Marco Marrone the owner of one of the boats seized, are seen during a protest demanding the release of the sailors, in front of parliament, in Rome, Italy. / Reuters.

Pope Francis Expresses Solidarity, “encouragement, support” for Fishermen Held in Libya

Oct 20, 2020

Pope Francis on Sunday, October 18 expressed his solidarity with the 18 fishermen who, for over one and a half months, have been held in Libya.

Fr. Mussie Zerai, founder of the Habeshia humanitarian agency based in Libya.

Missionary Cleric in Libya Appeals for Evacuation of Refugees amid Humanitarian Crisis

Aug 28, 2020

A Missionary Cleric ministering in Libya has appealed to the international community to help facilitate “urgent” evacuation of refugees from the North African country amid a humanitarian crisis.

Pope Francis prays in St. Peter's Basilica on June 14, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media/CNA.

After Discovery of Mass Graves in Libya, Pope Francis Appeals for Peace

Jun 14, 2020

Pope Francis expressed “great apprehension and sorrow” Sunday after eight mass graves were discovered in Libya amid the ongoing civil war.

Placard representing the Regional Episcopal Conference of North Africa (CERNA) during SECAM Golden Jubilee in Kampala, Uganda 28.07.2019 / ACI Africa/Fr. Don Bosco

Faced with “economic, climate, political disorders,” North Africa Bishops Support Migrants

Oct 4, 2019

The Catholic Bishops of North Africa under the umbrella body called the Regional Episcopal Conference of North Africa (CERNA) recently reconfirmed their solidarity with thousands of migrants present in their region and promised to reach out to them.