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| HRH Prince Charles |
Wanted to share with you this Christmas message from HRH Prince Charles for persecuted Christians. HRH The Prince of Wales has recorded a Christmas video message for Aid to the Church in Need specifically aimed at persecuted Christians, assuring them of his thoughts and prayers over the festive season.
To watch the video you will need to click on the links provided as the Aid To The Church In Need charity wants you to experience it on their website.
The Michael Trust is not affiliated with ACN but we recognise the dedication of their work for the protection of Christians who face persecution. Read further below more about the ACN.
Here is the text of the Christmas message -
I recently had the great privilege of meeting a priest who had ministered to those in Sri Lanka who were so dreadfully injured in the barbaric attacks this year, on churches on Easter Day. With nearly 260 killed and more than 500 injured in that appalling atrocity, Sunday, 21st April was the single, worst day of violence targetting Christians in the modern era. But tragically, it was not an isolated example.
I also met a religious Sister recently, who told me, most movingly, about the situation in Syria where, with immense courage and in impossible conditions, she provides crucial support to Christians and others escaping violence and death. A report in October by the charity Aid to the Church in Need found that within a decade up to two-thirds of Christians have fled Syria. In Iraq, Christian communities have shrunk by up to ninety percent within a generation. As we recall how the Christ Child fled with his parents to Egypt, let us remember the countless many who endure terrible persecution or are forced to flee their homes. And let us strengthen our resolve to prevent Christianity disappearing from the lands of the Bible.
The Syrian Sister I met gave me a gift: it was a depiction of the head of the Crucified Christ, made out of charred wood taken from a bomb-blasted church in Aleppo. As we mark this holiest of seasons in the Christian calendar, may I assure those of you who carry the cross of suffering today, that you are in my most special thoughts and heartfelt prayers. And to Christians everywhere, may I wish you a peaceful, safe and holy Christmas.
ENDS. Link to original source -
Who are the ACN?
Aid to Church in Need a pontifical foundation, this means it has the support of the Vatican and this was bestowed on the ACN on 6th December 2011:
Pope Benedict XVI elevated Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need to the status of a pontifical foundation, emphasizing its decades of service.
“ACN will continue as before, in a spirit of active charity to help wherever the Church faces hardship or persecution,” the organization said Dec. 6.
“As a pastoral charity, acting in the name of the Church, it is committed to strengthening and deepening Catholic faith and moral life.”
The change in the Germany-based organization’s status means it is now under the umbrella of the Vatican. Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, the prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, was assigned by the Pope to be the foundation’s new president.
Cardinal Mauro has nominated Baron Johannes Heereman von Zuydtwyck as executive president effective Dec. 1. Baron Heereman previously served as secretary general and executive president of the Knights of Malta in Germany. The new ecclesiastical assistant of the charity is Fr. Martin Barta, a member of the clerical association “Work of Jesus High Priest.”
The international headquarters of Aid to the Church in Need will remain in Königstein near Frankfurt, Germany.
After World War II, Pope Pius XII appealed for help for the 14 million postwar refugees in Germany. He inspired the Norbertine priest Werenfried van Straaten to work for reconciliation through charitable deeds.
The priest’s organization grew into Aid to the Church in Need, which now has 600,000 friends and benefactors supporting about 5,000 aid projects every year in over 140 different countries.
The charity has 17 national offices around the world. Its 2010 donations totaled over $100 million.
After World War II, Pope Pius XII appealed for help for the 14 million postwar refugees in Germany. He inspired the Norbertine priest Werenfried van Straaten to work for reconciliation through charitable deeds.
The priest’s organization grew into Aid to the Church in Need, which now has 600,000 friends and benefactors supporting about 5,000 aid projects every year in over 140 different countries.
The charity has 17 national offices around the world. Its 2010 donations totaled over $100 million.
This was written back in 2011, so the ACN has done a great deal mores since then. You can find out more about their history here and also a link to the UK website here.
We hope to share more about other charities from other faiths in the new year.
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