INTERNATIONAL: Catholic radio stations keeping the Faith alive in war zones

With support from an international Catholic charity, hundreds of radio stations are helping to bring God’s love to the faithful in parts of the world devastated by conflict.

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) provided more than £450,000 (€550,000) in support of 22 radio projects in 19 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and eastern Europe last year.

Christian radio stations can help promote peaceful coexistence between different faiths in regions where religiously motivated violence is common, according to Father Alexis Ouedraogo, director at Radio Notre Dame in Burkina Faso.

Father Ouedraogo told ACN that terrorists in the country seek “to divide the Burkinabè and to make them fight each other”.

He added that a radio programme featuring conversations between him and an imam have provided a model for overcoming religious hatred.

He said: “My role is to strengthen dialogue between members of different religious denominations.

“This dialogue of life, for me, is our daily coexistence.

“This can lead us to establish relationships between each other and to serve each other, and by doing so, help us to live in in solidarity.”

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Radio-Television team at Boma Diocese told ACN: “We thank in a special way all the benefactors who have made this formation possible, which is fundamental for our service.”

The charity also supports a Catholic radio station in Haiti where rampant violence has paralysed part of the country since March 2024.

Other countries where ACN assists broadcasting projects include Chad, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Liberia, Mozambique and Ukraine.

With thanks to Lucía Ballester and Josué Villalón