Donations Increase to Aid to the Church in Need
International Charity Supports Nearly 6,000 Projects in 2005
ROME, JULY 18, 2006 (Zenit.org)- Aid to the Church in Need received some 74.4 million euros (93 million dollars) in 2005, enabling them to finance 5,852 Church projects in 145 countries.
The 2005 balance sheet of the international charity reflects the contributions of benefactors in Europe, North and South America and Australia.
The figure reflects an increase of 6.5% over the previous year, stated a communiqué issued by the association's Italian press.
Again in 2005, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) concentrated its support on the construction of religious buildings -- allocating 24.8% to the construction of churches, chapels, seminaries and convents -- and to theological formation, allocating approximately 21.4% of the funds to scholarships for 400 seminarians, novices, priests and nuns to study at Pontifical Universities.
The life of the Church in all the continents was also supported last year with particular pastoral aid (21.6%), Mass intentions for priests in difficulties (13.8%), biblical apostolate (5.6%), means of transportation for programs of pastoral care (4.4%), media apostolate (3.8%) and support of nuns (2.9%).
Extraordinary aid was allocated in 2005 for humanitarian emergencies (1.7%), among which was aid for people hit by the tsunami at the end of 2004.
Projects
ACN highlighted some of last year's projects, such as construction of the Greek-Catholic seminary of the Holy Spirit in Lviv, Ukraine, inaugurated last Aug. 27, where 250 seminarians can receive formation.
The association's press office in Australia reported that the Catholic Church in Russia was helped (with one million euros), as were inter-confessional projects (also about one million euros) and the Russian Orthodox Church (more than 720,000 euros), especially for the formation of priests.
The priority in Africa was for countries like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, still suffering the consequences of prolonged civil wars.
ACN's Italian office also reported that 100,000 copies in the Tiv language of the child's Bible "God Speaks to His Children," one of the association's projects, helped to support the ecclesial pastoral program in Nigeria.
The communiqué noted as "extremely significant for the Church in Cuba," the support given by ACN to families of the country's eleven dioceses with the gift at Christmas of 500,000 images of the Child Jesus, an initiative to which Italian benefactors especially contributed.
In regard to information and sensitization activities vis-à-vis the persecuted Church, of note is the publication of the "Annual Report on Religious Freedom in the World," whose latest edition -- presented to the press last June 27 -- brought to light the substantial problems connected with the vulnerability of this human right in 2005.
Founded in 1947 by Dutch Premonstratensian priest Father Werenfried van Straaten (1913-2003), ACN supports poor and persecuted Churches -- not just Catholic but also of other Christian denominations -- with prayer, pastoral help and material aid.
ACN does not receive official contributions from the Church or public funds.
Its main headquarters are in the German city of Koenigstein; it has national offices in 17 countries.
ROME, JULY 18, 2006 (Zenit.org)- Aid to the Church in Need received some 74.4 million euros (93 million dollars) in 2005, enabling them to finance 5,852 Church projects in 145 countries.
The 2005 balance sheet of the international charity reflects the contributions of benefactors in Europe, North and South America and Australia.
The figure reflects an increase of 6.5% over the previous year, stated a communiqué issued by the association's Italian press.
Again in 2005, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) concentrated its support on the construction of religious buildings -- allocating 24.8% to the construction of churches, chapels, seminaries and convents -- and to theological formation, allocating approximately 21.4% of the funds to scholarships for 400 seminarians, novices, priests and nuns to study at Pontifical Universities.
The life of the Church in all the continents was also supported last year with particular pastoral aid (21.6%), Mass intentions for priests in difficulties (13.8%), biblical apostolate (5.6%), means of transportation for programs of pastoral care (4.4%), media apostolate (3.8%) and support of nuns (2.9%).
Extraordinary aid was allocated in 2005 for humanitarian emergencies (1.7%), among which was aid for people hit by the tsunami at the end of 2004.
Projects
ACN highlighted some of last year's projects, such as construction of the Greek-Catholic seminary of the Holy Spirit in Lviv, Ukraine, inaugurated last Aug. 27, where 250 seminarians can receive formation.
The association's press office in Australia reported that the Catholic Church in Russia was helped (with one million euros), as were inter-confessional projects (also about one million euros) and the Russian Orthodox Church (more than 720,000 euros), especially for the formation of priests.
The priority in Africa was for countries like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, still suffering the consequences of prolonged civil wars.
ACN's Italian office also reported that 100,000 copies in the Tiv language of the child's Bible "God Speaks to His Children," one of the association's projects, helped to support the ecclesial pastoral program in Nigeria.
The communiqué noted as "extremely significant for the Church in Cuba," the support given by ACN to families of the country's eleven dioceses with the gift at Christmas of 500,000 images of the Child Jesus, an initiative to which Italian benefactors especially contributed.
In regard to information and sensitization activities vis-à-vis the persecuted Church, of note is the publication of the "Annual Report on Religious Freedom in the World," whose latest edition -- presented to the press last June 27 -- brought to light the substantial problems connected with the vulnerability of this human right in 2005.
Founded in 1947 by Dutch Premonstratensian priest Father Werenfried van Straaten (1913-2003), ACN supports poor and persecuted Churches -- not just Catholic but also of other Christian denominations -- with prayer, pastoral help and material aid.
ACN does not receive official contributions from the Church or public funds.
Its main headquarters are in the German city of Koenigstein; it has national offices in 17 countries.
posted by VIVA at 6:10 PM
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