EUROPE/GERMANY - “Aid to the Church in Need” soon to open national office in Poland the first in a former Communist country

Königstein (Fides Service) - In the coming month of May “Aid to the Church in Need” (ACN) Catholic aid agency, will open an office in Poland. The decision was reached during a meeting in Warsaw with the Polish Bishops’ Conference which approved the opening of a Polish ACN national office. This Polish office will be the 17th national ACN office and the first opened in one of the many European country for years under Communist regime. ACN chairman, Hans-Peter Röthlin, says the event will be a “great day” and that he hopes will spread ACN in eastern Europe.
“Aid to the Church in Need” started in 1947 to help the Church of silence in eastern Europe and then providing Aid of the Church in need everywhere, is today an association of pontifical right. Every year through 16 national offices it collects more than 70 million dollars and with which it answers an average of 9,000 requests for help coming from 130 poor countries. The head office, where requests are examined the and aid is distributed, is in Königstein, Germany. ACN assists mainly formation of priests, building and maintenance of seminaries, translations of the Bible and other religious works in many languages, production of radio programmes with a religious content. (MS) (Agenzia Fides 22/3/2004 18 righe, 224 parole)