On the solemnity of the Annunciation, March 25, local dignitaries, priests, religious, and two archbishops were on hand to mark the inauguration of ACI MENA, an Arabic-language Catholic news agency, at the Catholic University in Erbil, Iraq.

ACI MENA (short for the Association for Catholic Information in the Middle East and Northern Africa) partnered with the university to launch this initiative, aimed at telling the stories of Christians in the region, with a focus on the Churches of the East and persecuted Christians. 

The agency is part of the EWTN Global Catholic Network, which also includes Catholic News Agency (CNA.)

“This initiative came to strengthen the existence of Christians in Iraq after years of persecution; it’s the time for the world to hear our voice,” Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, Iraq, said during the gathering.

Read more at Catholic News Agency