Persecution of Christians worldwide has gotten worse, papal charity report says

CNA Staff, Oct 22, 2024 / 15:45 pm

The persecution of Christians worldwide has only gotten worse, with militant Islam, oppressive regimes, and criminal gangs and extremists ramping up attacks during 2022–2024, according to a papal charity that supports persecuted Christians. 

An Oct. 22 report from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) details the extent of violence and oppression faced by Christian communities in 18 countries of “key concern.” The report, which covers August 2022 to June 2024, states that human rights violations against Christians have increased since the 2020–2022 report in more than 60% of the countries surveyed. 

The new report found that the six African nations examined saw an increase in Islamist violence, leading ACN to conclude that the epicenter of militant Islamist violence has “shifted from the Middle East to Africa.” 

In parts of the African nations of Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mozambique, and elsewhere, Christians have continued to be terrorized by extremist violence, ACN said.

CNA has reported for years on violence against Christians in Nigeria, which has in recent years seen thousands of Christians terrorized, displaced, and killed, often by bandits operating with impunity under a largely Muslim-controlled federal government. 

Ethnic and religious violence in Nigeria has claimed the lives of nearly 56,000 people in the West African country over four recent years, and the victims have been disproportionately Christian.

Just this month, a devastating Islamic terrorist attack in Burkina Faso, in the eastern town of Manni, left at least 150 people dead. For several months, Islamic insurgents have increased their brutality and their determination to spread terror, which has allowed them to control about half of the territory, ACN previously reported.

According to ACN, Burkina Faso has the highest level of extremist violence in the entire Sahel region as reflected in attacks such as those in Manni and Barsalogho at the end of August, where it is estimated that at least 400 people were killed by these armed Islamic groups.

Turning to other parts of the world, ACN said it has observed an “intensified targeting” of Christians as enemies of the state or of the local community by authoritarian regimes. 

These include the governments of such countries as China, Eritrea, India, and Iran, all of which have “ramped up repressive measures.” India in particular saw 720 attacks or other incidents of persecution against Christians reported in 2023, up from 599 the previous year. 

Further, ACN said, state and nonstate actors increasingly weaponized existing and new legislation, criminalizing acts deemed disrespectful to the state religion as a means of oppressing Christians and other minority religious groups. 

“Blasphemy laws,” which exist in dozens of countries worldwide, have been particularly devastating in Pakistan, while in Saudi Arabia converting from Islam to Christianity is strictly prohibited and converts can face the prospect of “honor killings.”

Finally, the group highlighted increased threats to Christian children, especially girls, who suffered abduction, sexual violence, forced marriage, and forced conversion.

The report included numerous additional facts about the struggles Christians face in various countries around the world. For example, the Christian population in Syria, devastated by the ongoing civil war, has dropped from 1.5 million to as few as 250,000 today — a similar drop has been recorded in Iraq amid the brutality of the so-called Islamic State. 

The full report can be obtained at ACN’s website.