Increase in the persecution of Christians in the world: "The Church which suffers needs people who speak for us"

“The suffering Church needs people to speak for us. For the killings to stop, more organizations like ACN need to speak the truth about what is happening to Christians around the world. Otherwise, we will always remain persecuted and forgotten. »

The organization Aid to the Church in Need (AED) released on Friday “Persecuted and forgotten? A report on Christians oppressed for their faith 2020-22 ». She reports on the increase in the oppression or persecution of Christians in 75% of the 24 countries studied.

The report reveals that in Africa “the situation of Christians has worsened in all the countries examined”. He denounces the “sharp increase in genocidal violence by militant non-state actors, including jihadists”. 

In the Middle East, Aid to the Church in Need believes that “the survival of three of the oldest and largest Christian communities in the world located in Iraq, Syria and Palestine” is threatened.

In Asia, according to the report, “State authoritarianism has been the critical factor that aggravated oppression against Christians”, notably in Myanmar, China and Vietnam. In this area, experts also point to religious nationalism, which has caused "increasing persecution of Christians in Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and elsewhere".

In the preamble, the report gives the floor to Andrew Adeniyi Abayomi, Nigerian priest of the church of Owo attacked on June 5. For him, this report is “of vital importance because it highlights the terrible threats facing believers”.

“It is not only Christians in Nigeria who are suffering, but those in Pakistan, China, India and many other places. Christians are being killed all over Africa, their churches attacked and villages razed to the ground. In Pakistan, they are unjustly detained on false charges of blasphemy. Underage Christian girls are kidnapped, raped, forced to convert and marry middle-aged men in countries like Egypt, Mozambique and Pakistan. In China and North Korea, totalitarian governments crush the faithful, monitoring their every move. And, as this report shows, the list of abuses goes on. The suffering Church needs people who speak for us. For the killings to stop, more organizations like ACN need to speak the truth about what is happening to Christians around the world. Otherwise, we will always remain persecuted and forgotten. »

An opinion shared by John Pontifex, author of the report, who says, "Let's do everything we can to show that they are not forgotten".

MC

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