The pontifical foundation has called for urgent donations to support its direct aid to Christian communities affected by the Iran-Israel war, stretching from Syria, Lebanon and Iraq to Jerusalem and the sole Catholic parish in Gaza.

Bernard Toutounji, National director of ACN Australia and New Zealand, said urgent help is required to meet the escalating need for emergency food packages, medication, and pastoral support to fleeing and sheltering families.

“As Holy Week begins, I ask you to keep the Christians of the Middle East very close to your hearts. These are our brothers and sisters who continue to live and worship in the very places where Christ Himself lived, walked, suffered, died and rose again. Their presence in these lands is not only a testimony of faith, but a living link to the Gospel itself,” said Mr. Toutounji.

“In these days marked by uncertainty, fear and hardship, they look to the wider Church for prayer, solidarity and support.”

ACN’s local partners; including bishops, religious congregations and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem; are working with local churches to support those seeking shelter, and to distribute urgent aid to displaced families, keep schools running, and provide medical and pastoral care. 

The need in Lebanon has reached a point of crisis, with more than one million people displaced. Catholic Churches, schools and facilities are sheltering families who have fled airstrikes in the South. The church’s capacity is already overwhelmed keeping schools, hospitals, care homes and orphanages running.

Christian communities in Jerusalem and Syria held Palm Sunday celebrations amid concerning tension, restricted access to holy sites, and insecurity. In Gaza, the Holy Family Catholic compound faces persistent war and shortages.

As we enter Holy Week and recall the events and sites of Jesus Christ’s Passion and Resurrection, Mr. Toutounji urges all Catholics in Australia and New Zealand to remember those who still suffer on the soil were Christ shed His blood. 

“This Easter, I ask you to be generous. I ask you to dig deeply to support the Christian families who are struggling to remain in the Holy Land and across the Middle East. Your support helps them to stay, to keep their churches open, to care for their children, and to continue the Christian presence in the land of Christ. Standing with them is not only an act of charity — it is an act of faith, and a witness that the Church is one body, wherever her people may suffer.”

The Church’s emergency assistance is a lifeline for the Christian presence in the Middle East. Without its support, the dwindling communities risks an exodus of Christianity itself from the lands it began.