Break the Silence podcast
Aid to the Church in Need (UK)’s Break the Silence podcast series aims to give a voice to individuals who have suffered for their Christian faith and those advocating for them. The topics range from stories of courage and hope in the face of religious freedom violations, to historical overviews of Christian persecution and present-day parliamentary advocacy aiming to bring about positive change.
Break the Silence is available now, subscribe on your favourite podcast platform on the links below or by searching “Break the Silence”:
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Past episodes
Episode 13 - John Pontifex & Dr John Newton: Christian persecution on the rise
ACN’s Dr John Newton and John Pontifex discuss the key findings and case studies in the 2024 ‘Persecuted and Forgotten?’ report, demonstrating that anti-Christian persecution has been worsening globally.
Episode 12 - Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark: Standing with persecuted Christians
Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark talks to ACN's John Pontifex about the importance of the charity's work and what Christians in the West can learn from our persecuted brothers and sisters.
Episode 11 - Serving the Church in Liberia for 50 years
Fr Garry Jenkins has served the suffering Church in Liberia as a missionary priest for half a century. He tells ACN's John Pontifex about his memories of the civil war and other moving experiences in the “forgotten” country.
Episode 10 - The suffering Church in South Sudan
Bishop Alex Lodiong Sakor of Yei Diocese, South Sudan sits down with Dr John Newton, ACN (UK) Communications & Research Manager to discuss the present and future of the Church in the war-torn country.
Episode 9 - Visiting IDP camps in Nigeria
ACN (UK) National Director Dr Caroline Hull and ACN Head of Nigeria Projects Kinga Schierstadt visited IDP camps and met Christians forced out of their homes by extremists in some of Nigeria’s most dangerous regions. They share some moving and inspiring stories about the suffering and persecuted Church.
Episode 8 - Faith, politics and religious freedom
Sir Stephen Timms, Labour MP for East Ham and Minister of State in the Department for Work and Pensions, sits down with ACN (UK) Parliamentary & Public Affairs Officer Daniel Beurthe to discuss Christian persecution, religious freedom advocacy and the role of faith in public life.
Episode 7 - Dr John Newton: The challenges facing the Church in India
Dr John Newton, ACN (UK) Communications & Research Manager recently returned from a trip to rural India where he witnessed both the joys and difficulties experienced by the local Church. He sits down with John Pontifex, ACN (UK) Head of Press & Public Affairs to discuss the challenges facing Christians in India and what the charity is doing to help.
Episode 6 - Surviving a massacre at
Margaret Attah is a survivor of the 2022 Pentecost Sunday church massacre in Owo, Nigeria, and the recipient of ACN (UK)'s first 'Courage to be Christian' award. On the second anniversary of the attack, Margaret discussed her experience of surviving the atrocity, the ongoing lack of justice and what faith means to her and her community.
Episode 5 - 10 years since the fall of Mosul
A decade after Daesh (ISIS) invaded Mosul, Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda discusses his memories of the tragic events, highlighting the importance of keeping "the flame of the Christian faith shining” in Iraq’s historic Christian heartland.
Episode 4 - The challenges facing the Church in Nigeria
Fr Mark Odion, MSP Regional Superior in the UK and ACN's John Pontifex discuss the challenges facing the Church in Nigeria and what ACN is doing to help.
Episode 3 - Parliamentary advocacy for persecuted Christians
Lord Alton of Liverpool, a House of Lords crossbencher, tells Daniel Beurthe, Parliamentary and Public Affairs Officer at ACN (UK), about his remarkable career advocating for freedom of religion and belief in the political arena.
Episode 2 - Growing up as a Christian girl in Pakistan
Ribqa Nevash, an advocate for Christians in Pakistan, sits down with Amy Balog, Press Officer at ACN (UK), to discuss the situation of Christian women and girls in the South Asian country.
Episode 1 - Visiting the suffering Church
ACN (UK) National Director Caroline Hull and Head of Press & Public Affairs John Pontifex recently visited Liberia. They give a moving account of what life is like for Christians in one of the poorest countries in the world and what ACN is doing to help.