1997 The 50th anniversary of ACN’s efforts on behalf of the Church in need worldwide – an occasion that is celebrated fittingly. 2003 Father Werenfried van Straaten, founder of our aid organisation, dies on 31 January at the age of 90 in his place of residence, Bad Soden/Taunus. 2007 The Middle East conflict causes more and more difficulties for the Church in the region, prompting Pope Benedict XVI to ask ACN to intensify its activities for Christians in the Middle East. 2011 An eventful year for ACN: our aid organisation is re-founded as a Foundation of Pontifical Right by Pope Benedict XVI and subsequently restructured. When the Syrian war breaks out, ACN begins extensive aid and solidarity campaigns, including the “Light a Candle for Peace in Syria” initiative. 2014 ACN initiates an emergency campaign to allow Christians in Iraq to remain in their homeland. The project is still going strong to this day, with more than 5,000 houses having already been renovated. ACN also becomes the sole shareholder of the YOUCAT Foundation and therefore its publisher. The work is very popular in Catholic youth work all over the world, with translations into no fewer than 60 languages. ACN opens its first Asian office in South Korea. This is followed by further offices in Mexico, Malta, Colombia, Slovakia and the Philippines up until 2019.
2017 To mark the 70th anniversary of our aid organisation, ACN invites benefactors from all over the world on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Fatima in Portugal. In the same year, Aid to the Church in Need assumes responsibility for the annual One Million Children Praying the Rosary campaign. 2019 With the Safeguarding project, ACN is helping the church to introduce measures to prevent abuse and is encouraging safeguarding courses for priests and religious worldwide.
2020 Our foundation helps the Church
worldwide in their efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic and grants special assistance to cushion the impact of the coronavirus crisis for
local churches. Following the explosion in Beirut’s harbour, ACN is launching a major aid campaign for Lebanon. 2022 Immediately after the start of the war in Ukraine, our aid organisation launches a large-scale relief operation to enable the local church to assist those who had fled their homes, suffering people and to continue pastoral care. 2023 Immediately after the outbreak of the war in Gaza, ACN launches a relief ope- ration for Christian families in the Holy Land, especially in the Gaza Strip. 2024 Due to the further escalation of the war in the Holy Land, ACN steps up its relief efforts in cooperation with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Additionally, extensive emergency aid is provided in Lebanon, which is also severely affec- ted by the war.
ACN Activity Report 2024 | 95 Our history |
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