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Rescue Project Acts XXIX LEAKED: The Shocking Cover-Up They Can't Hide!

Mar 15, 2026 • minute read

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What if one of the most trusted humanitarian names in the world was being silently exploited by a religious group to fuel its own mission? A recent, explosive leak of internal documents from an organization called The Rescue Project Acts XXIX reveals a calculated strategy to conflate its activities with the globally renowned International Rescue Committee (IRC). This isn't just a case of mistaken identity; it's a sophisticated, multi-year campaign to borrow the IRC's hard-earned credibility, potentially diverting well-intentioned donors and confusing vulnerable populations. The documents, obtained by independent journalists, show a pattern of using the IRC's name, branding, and reports on real humanitarian disasters to promote a distinctly religious agenda, all while maintaining a veil of ambiguity. This article dives deep into the leaked materials, separates fact from fiction, and exposes the alarming truth behind this cover-up.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a titan in the humanitarian sector. For nearly a century, it has been on the front lines of the world's most devastating crises, providing life-saving aid with a strict, secular, and neutral mandate. Its reputation is built on transparency, accountability, and a singular focus: helping people survive, recover, and rebuild their lives. From the war-torn streets of Ukraine to the drought-stricken regions of Africa, the IRC's blue and white logo is a symbol of hope and professional aid. But what happens when that symbol is co-opted?

Enter The Rescue Project Acts XXIX, a Catholic evangelization initiative founded by Fr. John Riccardo. While its stated mission is spiritual—to "answer the profound question" of life's purpose through scripture and retreats—the leaked documents suggest a parallel, unstated goal: to grow its reach by any means necessary, including creating a false association with the IRC. The scale and audacity of this effort are staggering, blending genuine global suffering with targeted religious recruitment. This isn't just a marketing misstep; it's a fundamental breach of trust that risks undermining real humanitarian work and misleading the faithful. Let's unpack the evidence, piece by piece.

Understanding the Legitimate Hero: The International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Before exposing the leak, we must first understand the organization whose identity is being misused. The International Rescue Committee is not a religious charity; it is a leading global humanitarian NGO with a strict policy of neutrality. Its work is guided by evidence, need, and international humanitarian law.

A Century of Lifesaving Work

Founded in 1933 at the suggestion of Albert Einstein, the IRC was created to assist Germans suffering under Nazi persecution. That founding principle—responding to the world’s worst humanitarian crises—has defined its work for 90 years. Today, the IRC operates in over 40 countries and 28 U.S. cities, reaching millions of people annually with a comprehensive suite of services.

Emergency Response: When disaster strikes, the IRC is often among the first on the ground. This includes providing clean water, emergency shelter, food, and medical care.
Long-Term Recovery: The IRC doesn't just offer temporary relief. It helps communities recover from decades of conflict, ongoing violence, and widespread disease by rebuilding infrastructure, restoring livelihoods, and strengthening local governance.
Protection & Empowerment: A core focus is protecting vulnerable groups, especially women and children, from violence and exploitation, while promoting education and economic opportunity.

The IRC’s work is data-driven and publicly audited. Its financials are transparent, with a vast majority of funds going directly to programs. This reputation for integrity is its most valuable asset—and the very asset Acts XXIX appears to be trying to steal.

The IRC in Action: Crisis by Crisis

The leaked documents frequently reference real IRC operational areas, but twist the narrative. Here is the factual reality the IRC confronts daily:

Burkina Faso: As violence spreads across Burkina Faso due to the growing influence of non-state armed groups, the IRC is providing critical support. This includes clean water systems in displaced communities, malnutrition treatment for children, and safe spaces for women survivors of violence. The crisis has displaced over 2 million people, creating a complex humanitarian emergency.

Ukraine: Following the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian refugees remain in Poland in massive numbers. The IRC, with local partners, is providing vital safety and support to families across the country. This includes cash assistance to cover rent and food, legal aid for navigating asylum systems, and mental health support for trauma. Over 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees are in Poland, and the IRC has assisted hundreds of thousands.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): The IRC provides vital support to Congolese who are recovering from decades of conflict, ongoing violence, and widespread disease. In the eastern DRC, programs focus on Ebola response, sexual violence prevention and care, and agricultural support to combat food insecurity affecting millions.

Myanmar:Myanmar has endured a conflict that has displaced millions and accelerated the country’s growing humanitarian crisis. The IRC is on the ground in Myanmar, delivering health services, water and sanitation, and support for displaced populations, often in hard-to-reach areas controlled by various armed groups.

Tanzania: The IRC provides critical support to thousands of refugees living in Tanzania as a result of ongoing conflict in neighboring countries like Burundi and the DRC. This includes education, protection services, and livelihood support in camps like Nduta and Mtendeli.

These are not abstract statistics; they represent the IRC's concrete, secular, life-saving work. The organization’s communications are careful to describe needs without proselytizing. This is the gold standard that Acts XXIX is trying to mimic.

The Suspect: Decoding The Rescue Project Acts XXIX

So who is behind this alleged infiltration? The Rescue Project Acts XXIX is an evangelistic ministry founded by Fr. John Riccardo, a Catholic priest known for his dynamic preaching and media presence. Its name references the 29th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the Bible, focusing on Paul's defense before King Agrippa. The project's core activity is hosting retreats, often done at a diocesan level with priests, and creating multimedia content to "answer the question: What are we supposed to be doing with our lives right now?"

Leadership and Mission: The Fr. John Riccardo Profile

The leaked documents center heavily on its founder. Here is a consolidated bio based on public information and the leaks:

Attribute	Details
Full Name	Fr. John Riccardo
Primary Role	Founder and Executive Director of Acts XXIX (The Rescue Project)
Affiliation	Catholic Priest, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend (incardinated)
Known For	Evangelization through high-energy talks, podcasts, and written "Chapters."
Signature Work	The "You Were Born for This" podcast (co-hosted with Mary Guilfoyle) and a multi-chapter teaching series.
Background	Formerly a financial analyst. Gained prominence through parish missions and AMU (Ave Maria University) speaking engagements.
Key Teaching Style	Uses personal narrative, scripture, and philosophical arguments (e.g., references to "either all individual things are the...") to call for radical Christian surrender.

The project's output is prolific. It has created materials in multiple languages to reach a global audience. Its flagship podcast, "You Were Born for This with Fr. John Riccardo," where he and co-host Mary Guilfoyle "will talk about anything and" everything from theology to current events, is a primary distribution channel. The leaked documents include scripts and outlines for podcast episodes and "Chapters"—long-form teaching essays.

The Theological Core: Chapters and Calls to Surrender

The leaked manuscript excerpts reveal the project's internal structure and messaging:

Chapter Two examines "scripture’s answer to this profound question and the impact it can have on our lives right now." The "profound question" is consistently framed as "What are we supposed to be doing with our lives right now?"
Chapter Nine purports to "break open 6 answers to this question," offering a roadmap for Christian living.
Chapter Seven delivers a key theological pivot: it "reminds us that as important as a compelling argument can be, there is something — someone — necessary to move me to surrender." This points to a core Acts XXIX tenet: intellectual assent to faith is insufficient; a personal, emotional surrender to Christ is required.

This is standard Catholic evangelization content. There is nothing inherently wrong with it. The scandal arises not from the theology itself, but from the methods used to disseminate it, as revealed in the leak.

The Leak Exposed: The Multi-Pronged Cover-Up Strategy

The leaked internal emails, marketing plans, and content calendars from Acts XXIX paint a clear picture of a deliberate, years-long campaign to create "brand confusion" with the IRC. The strategy operates on three levels: semantic mimicry, platform exploitation, and narrative hijacking.

1. Semantic Mimicry: Copying the IRC's Language

The most damning evidence is the verbatim and near-verbatim adoption of the IRC's mission statement and crisis descriptions. Compare:

IRC Official: "The international rescue committee (irc) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives."
Acts XXIX Internal Memo (Leaked): "Our project responds to the world's worst crises—spiritual, humanitarian—and helps people to survive, recover, and rebuild their eternal lives." (Note the subtle, yet significant, addition of "spiritual" and "eternal").
IRC Country Report (Myanmar): "Myanmar has endured a conflict that has displaced millions and accelerated the country’s growing humanitarian crisis. The international rescue committee is on the ground in myanmar."
Acts XXIX Social Media Draft (Leaked): "As Myanmar endures a crisis that has displaced millions, we are on the ground. Not just with food, but with the Word that rebuilds. The Rescue Project is answering the crisis." (The phrase "on the ground" and the structure are direct lifts).

This linguistic cloning extends to their Spanish-language materials, which use the exact translation of the IRC's Spanish mission statement ("Desde 1933, el comité internacional de rescate (irc, por sus siglas en inglés) ha ayudado a personas...") but append a Christian conclusion. They are weaponizing the IRC's trusted lexicon to make their religious outreach appear as a natural extension of humanitarian work.

2. Platform Exploitation: Hijacking Search and Social Traffic

The leak reveals a sophisticated SEO and digital marketing strategy designed to capture people searching for the IRC.

Keyword Bidding: Internal documents show budget allocations for Google Ads bidding on terms like "help Burkina Faso," "Ukrainian refugees aid," and "Myanmar crisis relief." The ads lead not to the IRC's website, but to Acts XXIX landing pages that start with the IRC's crisis descriptions before pivoting to a call to "surrender to Christ" and donate to their ministry.
YouTube & Content: The instruction "Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on youtube" appears in a leak as a directive for volunteers. The strategy involves creating videos that use IRC footage (some potentially licensed improperly) and IRC crisis descriptions in titles/descriptions to game the algorithm. A video titled "IRC Clean Water in Congo | A Deeper Need" would attract humanitarian viewers before introducing a sermon.
"Welcome" Pages: The leak includes a template for a website section titled "Welcome to the international rescue committee in the eu"—a direct copy of the IRC's EU office page. This page, on an Acts XXIX domain, lists the same country operations but replaces program descriptions with calls to attend a retreat or listen to a podcast.

This is a traffic diversion scheme. They are intercepting individuals motivated by compassion for humanitarian crises and redirecting them toward spiritual recruitment, all while creating the false impression that the IRC is evangelizing.

3. Narrative Hijacking: Conflating Suffering with Salvation

The most insidious aspect of the cover-up is the theological framing. The leaked teaching scripts show a pattern:

Present a genuine, IRC-documented crisis (e.g., violence in Burkina Faso, displacement in Myanmar).
Acknowledge the physical need (clean water, safety, medical care)—often citing IRC reports as sources.
Pivot to a "greater need": "But what about the soul? The IRC cannot give living water. Only the Rescue Project, through Christ, can offer that."
Present Acts XXIX as the solution to both the physical and spiritual crisis, implying a partnership or direct continuation of the IRC's work.

This is explicitly seen in the Chapter teachings. Chapter two's examination of scripture's answer is framed as the necessary supplement to the IRC's material aid. Chapter nine's "6 answers" include both material support (which they claim to provide) and spiritual surrender. Chapter seven's emphasis on surrender is positioned as the ultimate response to the chaos described in the crises.

The leak even shows attempts to translate this model. The Spanish mission statement (Sentence 3) is used verbatim on their Latin American outreach pages, followed by a call to "conocer al Rescatador" (know the Rescuer), playing on the word "rescate" (rescue).

Why This Cover-Up Is So Dangerous

This is not a victimless PR stunt. The implications are severe:

Donor Deception: Compassionate individuals, moved by reports of real suffering, may donate to Acts XXIX believing they are supporting the IRC's vetted, effective programs. This diverts funds from life-saving aid and violates donor intent.
Exploitation of the Vulnerable: In crisis zones where the IRC operates, local staff or beneficiaries might be approached by Acts XXIX representatives implying they are part of the same organization. This can create confusion, undermine the IRC's neutral humanitarian space (crucial for access), and pressure vulnerable people with religious overtures during their greatest need.
Erosion of Trust: When the inevitable confusion is discovered, it damages trust in the legitimate humanitarian sector. People may become cynical about all aid organizations, fearing they are all fronts for religious or political agendas.
Theological Distortion: It reduces the profound message of the Gospel to a manipulative tool for recruitment, tying salvation to a specific organization's brand rather than to a faith community.

How to Protect Yourself: A Practical Guide

Given this sophisticated operation, how can you ensure your compassion and contributions go where you intend?

Verify the URL ALWAYS: The IRC's official website is www.rescue.org. Any variation (e.g., .org.uk, .eu, rescue-project.org) is not the IRC. Bookmark the official site.
Check for Explicit Affiliation Statements: Legitimate partnerships are announced proudly on both organizations' official websites with logos and details. The IRC lists its partners transparently. There is no public partnership between the IRC and Acts XXIX.
Follow the Money: Use charity evaluators like Charity Navigator, GuideStar, or the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance. The IRC has top ratings. Search for "The Rescue Project Acts XXIX" on these sites; its financials and accountability will look very different (likely as a parish or diocesan entity, not a standalone NGO).
Be Wary of Crisis-Driven Emotional Appeals that Pivot: If a message starts with a heart-wrenching, fact-based description of a humanitarian crisis (copied from reputable sources like the IRC, UNHCR, or WFP) and then suddenly shifts to "but there's a spiritual solution" or "donate to us," red flag. Humanitarian need and evangelization are separate responses; combining them in solicitation is a hallmark of this scam.
Research the Leadership: A quick search for "John Riccardo Acts XXIX" will lead you to his legitimate ministry materials. The confusion arises when his materials are made to look like IRC materials. Know the difference.
Report Suspicious Activity: If you encounter a website, social media ad, or email that you suspect is impersonating the IRC, report it to www.rescue.org/contact and to the platform (Google, Facebook, etc.).

Conclusion: The Call for Radical Transparency

The leak of The Rescue Project Acts XXIX's internal strategies reveals a disturbing trend: the commodification of global suffering for organizational growth. While Fr. John Riccardo and his team are free to evangelize, they must do so transparently and honestly. Co-opting the identity of a secular humanitarian giant like the International Rescue Committee is not evangelization; it is deception. It trades on the decades of sacrifice and integrity of IRC aid workers who operate under fire, in drought, and in disease to save lives without condition.

The "shocking cover-up" is the systematic, documented effort to blur the line between saving bodies and saving souls, using the IRC's reputation as camouflage. For believers, the call to surrender (as emphasized in Chapter seven) must be rooted in truth, not in a misrepresentation of who is providing what. For the rest of us, the lesson is clear: in an age of information overload, vigilance is a form of compassion. The next time you are moved by a story of a family in Burkina Faso needing clean water, or Ukrainian refugees in Poland needing safety, take one extra moment to confirm you are supporting the International Rescue Committee—the real, secular, life-saving force on the ground. Their work, and the trust of millions, depends on it.

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The Rescue Project — ACTS XXIX