Christian persecution

The Latest

The scene outside a Catholic church in Istanbul, Turkey, where a reported armed attack took place on Jan. 28, 2024.

Report details persecution of Turkish Christians ahead of Pope Leo XIV's visit

Nov 26, 2025

By Tyler Arnold

A Christian advocacy group’s report details “legal, institutional, and social hostility” toward Turkish Christians. Read more

The National Catholic Board of Education (NCBE) and the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) Justice and Peace Commission have issued a  joint statement condemning the rising wave of violence affecting schools across South Africa.

Catholic leaders in South Africa decry escalating school attacks, urge action

Nov 26, 2025

By Sabrine Amboka

Catholic leaders have issued a joint statement condemning the rising wave of violence affecting schools across South Africa. Read more

Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of the Abuja Archdiocese at St. Luke’s Parish, Kubwa, during a confirmation Mass.

Archbishop says Nigeria could be ‘saddest nation in the world,’ reflects on better days

Nov 25, 2025

By Sabrine Amboka

According to Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, the saddest people on earth today might be in Nigeria, owing to poor governance,... Read more

A map of Nigeria.

Nigerian priest: Those responsible for killing Christians, Muslims should be held accountable

Nov 25, 2025

By Kristina Millare

Nigerian priest Father Mathias Ashinnoitian Adugba told EWTN News that more must be done to hold people accountable for the... Read more

Over 200 Christians were murdered by Islamist militants in Nigeria on June, 13, 2025.

Armed attackers kidnap children from Catholic elementary school in Nigeria

Nov 21, 2025

By Jude Atemanke

The Diocese of Kontagora in Nigeria described the Friday kidnapping of children and staff at St. Mary’s Catholic schools as... Read more

A roadside wooden crucifix in Bavaria.

Violence against Christians rises sharply across Europe, report warns

Nov 17, 2025

By Alexander Folz

A new report by OIDAC Europe documents 2,211 anti-Christian hate crimes across Europe in 2024, including a sharp spike in... Read more

Argentine priest Father Rico has liberated more than 100 Christians from bondage since 2024.

Priest and layman liberate Christian slaves from bondage in Pakistan

Nov 16, 2025

By Martin Barillas

Father Rico, a priest with the Order of St. Elijah based in Argentina, told CNA he paid Muslim Pakistani businessmen... Read more

On Nov. 4, 2025, the Catholic Diocese of Auchi in Nigeria announced the release of two seminarians who were abducted in July during an armed attack on Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Ivianokpodi while confirming the death of a third victim.

2 Nigerian minor seminarians released months after kidnapping, 1 killed in captivity

Nov 5, 2025

By Jude Atemanke

The Diocese of Auchi in Nigeria has announced the release of two young seminarians who were abducted in July during... Read more

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Catholic priest appeals for prayers for evangelical missionary kidnapped in Niger

Oct 24, 2025

By Jude Atemanke

Kevin Rideout, an American missionary, was abducted from his home in Niger’s capital, Niamey, by three unidentified armed men suspected... Read more

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Bill proposed in Hungary could require priests to violate seal of confession

Oct 24, 2025

By Madalaine Elhabbal

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed. Read more

A view of the French Senate in Paris on Feb. 1, 2023.

French senators urge action against rising anti-Christian attacks in the country

Oct 20, 2025

By Solène Tadié

Eighty-six French senators have signed a public appeal denouncing the alarming rise of anti-Christian acts in France.  Read more

In interviews with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, Nigerian Catholic Church leaders shared their views on Christian persecution in the West African nation, expressing varied opinions on U.S. proposed legislation to change Nigeria's designation to a country of particular concern (CPC).

Nigerian Catholic leaders respond to call to label Nigeria ‘country of particular concern’

Oct 16, 2025

By Abah Anthony John

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced legislation in September that would require the Trump administration to adopt the CPC designation for... Read more

Candle lights in Fourvière Basilica, in Lyon, France, on Dec. 8, 2022.

‘Christianophobia’ resurfaces in Europe as attacks rise against Christians

Oct 3, 2025

By ACI MENA

In 2023 alone there were 2,444 incidents of violence against Christians across 35 European countries, including 1,000 cases in France. Read more

Nigerian security officers during a military operation ahead of the gubernatorial elections in Benin City, Edo, Nigeria, on Sept. 17, 2020.

Nigeria rights groups seek release of 850 Christians held in notorious jihadist village

Oct 1, 2025

By ACI Africa

Testimonies of Nigerians kidnapped by jihadist Fulani herdsmen have revealed that hundreds of Christians are still being held by the... Read more

Nigeria is “sinking in many fronts,” the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, has said.

Nigeria bishops’ conference president: Country now full of ‘fear, flight, and funerals’

Sep 17, 2025

By Agnes Aineah

Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, said Nigerians are grappling with the many effects... Read more

Father Vealumun Paul Ansbert Mom, the superior general of the Via Christi Society in Nigeria, has decried the state of insecurity in his diocese, saying he can no longer travel to his village because “everyone has been driven away by killer herders.”

‘I don’t have a village anymore’: Priest decries insecurity, persecution in Nigeria

Sep 11, 2025

By Abah Anthony John

The superior general of the Via Christi Society in Nigeria has decried the state of insecurity in his native Makurdi... Read more

A Catholic church in Laos.

Christians in Laos driven from their homes, forced to live in rainforest

Aug 14, 2025

By Diego López Marina

Despite the fact that Laos officially guarantees the right to worship, Christians in rural areas of the country are being... Read more

The Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham, Alabama.

Alabama vicar general on leave after allegations of relationship with minor

Aug 14, 2025

By Daniel Payne

A high-ranking priest in the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama is on leave amid allegations that he began a relationship... Read more

Pakistan minority rights campaigners protest the sentencing of a Christian man to death for sharing an allegedly blasphemous TikTok post in Karachi on July 2, 2024.

Pakistan softens death penalty laws to keep EU trade, preserves blasphemy statutes

Aug 2, 2025

By Thomas Philipp Reiter

Islamabad removes death penalty for two crimes to preserve European trade benefits, but blasphemy laws targeting Christians remain untouched. Read more

Over 200 Christians were murdered by Islamist militants in Nigeria on June, 13, 2025.

Lawmakers introduce resolution condemning Christian persecution abroad

Jul 21, 2025

By Amira Abuzeid

A joint resolution introduced in the U.S. House and Senate last week condemns the persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority countries... Read more