The persecution of Christians is now “worse than at any time in history” according to a report by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.
Persecuted and Forgotten? has been published by the UK office of Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.
Some of the report’s findings are:
- Persecution of Christians reached a new high between 2015 and 2017, as groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram stepped up attacks
- Not only are Christians more persecuted than any other faith group, they are also experiencing the worst forms of persecution
- The international community is failing to respond adequately to the violence.
The report says if Christian organisations and other institutions had not filled the gap, the Christian presence could already have disappeared in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East.
Researchers focused on 13 countries, providing an overview of the state of religious freedom for the country’s various denominations.
As well as in Iraq and Syria, Christians are under increasing threat in several major Islamic countries, and under authoritarian regimes such as North Korea and Eritrea.
In China, Christians have come under increasing pressure as authorities try to force their religion to conform to Communist ideals.
More than 2,000 churches have been demolished in the coastal province of Zhejiang and police are still routinely detaining clergy.
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