Persecuted and Forgotten?

A report of Christians Persecution and Oppression in the World 2017

Persecution against Christians in the worst-affected regions reached a new peak, the impact of which is only now beginning to be felt in all its horror.

Christians are the victims of at least 75% of all religiously-motivated violence and oppression

Targeting of religious belief – driven by hatred of Christians and the faith itself – emerges as a common denominator in hundreds of testimonies of persecution received by Aid to the Church in Need from countries around the world. As a Catholic charity providing emergency and pastoral relief in 140 countries, ACN is committed to chronicling and assessing the evolving phenomenon of persecution against Christians around the world today.

Decapitated statue of Our Lady in the destroyed Mar Addai Church, Karemlash, northern Iraq

Persecuted and Forgotten? 2015-17 assesses both the nature of the threats to Christians and the underlying causes. It identifies trends and, where possible, predicts future developments.

Everyday Christians suffering persecution for their faith – many of them are left with no choice but to flee for their lives. Christians are the victims of at least 75% of all religiously-motivated violence and oppression – the extent of this persecution is largely ignored by our media.

Aid to the Church in Need is committed to finding out the truth about persecuted Christians today. Drawing on fact-finding trips, first-hand testimonies and facts and figures from little-known corners of the world, the 2017 report reveals the faces of persecution. Persecuted Christians need us to tell their story.

Christian Eritrean refugees Hitsats camp in northern Ethiopia.

Father Werenfried van Straaten, the founder of Aid to the Church in Need, once said: “Our persecuted brothers and sisters are the elite of the Church. To show solidarity with them is a matter of honour.”

Although the precise number of Christians persecuted for their faith remains unclear, reports showing a fall in the number of deaths during the period under review to below 100,000 nevertheless highlight that the violence against followers of Jesus Christ remains severe.

Persecuted and Forgotten? 2015-17 assesses both the nature of the threats to Christians and the underlying causes. It identifies trends and, where possible, predicts future developments.

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Persecution around the World

The suffering of Christians in 2017 is unprecedented. ACN’s Persecuted and Forgotten? report includes the following important findings…

In China, more than 2,000 churches and crosses were demolished within just 12 months up to and including April 2016.
In Egypt, it is illegal to convert from Islam to Christianity.
In Eritrea, within one month – May 2017 – 122 Christians were arrested during a government crackdown. 33 women were jailed in a prison notorious for torture.
In India, 365 anti-Christian incidents were recorded during 2016 – 10 people were killed, 145 were beaten and physically assaulted and 34 women – including nuns – were raped.
In Iran, saying Mass in the main language of Farsi is not allowed. Priests are required to ask a Muslim attending a service to leave or else face possible arrest for alleged proselytism – seeking converts.
In Iraq’s Nineveh Plains, 12,970 homes were damaged or destroyed in Christian majority towns and villages during a 2½-year occupation by Daesh (ISIS). 120,000 people were displaced.
In northern Nigeria’s Maiduguri diocese, Islamist Boko Haram mass killing and other violence caused 1.8 million to be displaced and left 5,000 widows and 15,000 orphans.
In North Korea, where there are reports of public executions of Christians, the faithful may number up to 500,000. They meet in groups of two or three and silently mouth prayers.
In Pakistan, increasing acts of violence and hostility led Father James Channon, responsible for inter-faith cooperation, to say “Christians are experiencing their worst time in the country’s history”.
In Saudi Arabia, there are no churches as they are forbidden. Public Christian worship is banned, as is the import of Bibles. Converting to Christianity is punishable by death.
In Sudan, in the 12 months up to February 2017 the government gave notice of its intent to destroy at least 25 churches.
In Syria, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Aphrem II pleaded for help for Christians exiting en masse, admitting to fears that one of the oldest Church communities was “on the way out”.
In Turkey, over the past five years at least 100 church properties have been seized.