The new International Secretary General, Ferdinand Habsburg, joins the ACN Pontifical Foundation after a successful career in the fields of media and education. His appointment was made by the Executive President, Regina Lynch, in accordance with the Foundation's statutes and with the approval of the Administrative Council.
The decision follows the appointment, in November 2025, of the Cardinal Kurt Koch as president of ACN International by Pope Leo XIV.
Extensive professional experience
Ferdinand Habsburg, an Austrian national, is 60 years old, married and the father of three children. He grew up in Zurich, Switzerland, where he completed his secondary education at the Benedictine monastery school in Einsiedeln. His first contact with ACN dates back to 1985, when he worked for a year at the Coptic Catholic Patriarchate in Cairo, Egypt, an ACN project partner.
He then moved to Berlin (Germany) for university studies, where he obtained a master's degree in German literature, international relations and anthropology. After completing his studies, he developed a successful career in the fields of marketing and media, working, among others, in the television department of Bertelsmann, as a manager at Procter & Gamble and as head of television at Red Bull.
In 2007 he founded Da Vinci Media, a company specializing in educational and family content for Europe, Asia and Africa. In September 2025, he joined ACN as Director of Communications and Fundraising.
Love for ACN's mission: support for the persecuted Church
Commenting on the appointment, Regina Lynch said: “During the time we have worked with Ferdinand Habsburg, I and the rest of the management team have appreciated his strong analytical and strategic skills, his ability to listen and create synergies, his broad professional experience and his deep love for our mission.
Ferdinand Habsburg said, “I am deeply grateful for the trust that the ACN Board of Trustees has placed in me. At a time when our Christian brothers and sisters are being persecuted in many countries around the world, ACN's mission to support the suffering and persecuted Church is more relevant than ever”.
Thanks to Philipp Ozores
Ferdinand Habsburg succeeds Philipp Ozores. “During his time at ACN, Philipp Ozores was responsible for driving and accompanying years of significant growth, during which our capacity to support the suffering and persecuted Church nearly doubled,” said Regina Lynch. “We are deeply grateful to him for all he has done for the foundation.”.
5,373 projects to be financed in 138 countries by 2024
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is an international organization with national sections in more than 20 countries in Europe, Asia, Oceania, Latin America and North America. Its mission is to support the Church in situations of material and spiritual need, including extreme poverty and persecution. In 2024, the foundation funded 5,373 projects in 138 countries.
ACN also publishes the Religious Freedom in the World Report, The only non-governmental study that analyzes the situation of religious freedom of all religions, in all countries of the world.
“The Church in Syria again needs your help.”
Just today, Aid to the Church in Need, ACN Spain, recalled the voice of Father Fadi al-Najjar, a priest in Aleppo, who alerted ACN on January 6 of the dramatic situation in Syria. “Please, I go out to ask for your prayerful help, your solidarity, to raise your voice for peace”.
Although the bombing has stopped for now, fear, tension and uncertainty continue to mark the daily lives of Christian families in Aleppo. Many have had to leave their homes, others have lost everything, and the shrinking Christian community is struggling to survive in a context of extreme crisis and insecurity.
Christians do not want to leave
About 25 Christian homes have been completely destroyed and some 350 damaged. The Catholic Church in Syria is assessing the damage to help them rebuild their homes. In spite of everything, Christians in Syria do not want to leave. As Father Fadi, a priest in Aleppo, told us: “We, as the Church, have decided to stay because it is our land. We have to be the salt of the earth”.
ACN pleads for help for Christians in Syria: “do not leave them alone”. Here have how to do it. Or call 91 725 92 12.
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