(ZENIT News / Madrid, 02.02.2025).- More Catholic Priests and Religious were kidnapped in 2024 than in 2023, according to data of the Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Whereas in the previous year the number of kidnapped was 33, in 2024 a total of 38 members of the clergy and men and women religious were kidnapped by criminals. ACN recorded cases of murder, abduction or detention for motives related to persecution, but also of those that served in difficult or dangerous places, as witness to their commitment to God.
Increase of Kidnappings
The 2024 list of kidnappings is headed by Haiti, where the general collapse of national security has occasioned the abduction of 18 Priests and Religious, as opposed to two in 2023. Nigeria continues to be one of the most dangerous countries for Priests and Religious. However, the situation improved somewhat, with 12 abductions reported in 2024, a lower figure than that of 2023. Fortunately, all the victims kidnapped in both countries were finally released.
Bishop Salvador Rangel Mendoza of Mexico was also kidnapped and then abandoned by the criminals in a hospital, where he recovered. A young seminarian is also on the list, who was kidnapped by the military in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was released that same night after strong protests by the Ecclesiastical Authorities. The Colonel responsible for the abduction was expelled from the Armed Forces and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
There were two cases of nuns being kidnapped in 2024: one in Colombia, robbed and attacked sexually who, fortunately, survived the ordeal. Also in Malawi, a nun was mistreated physically and verbally before being released. Four other priests were abducted in previous years and, to date, they have not been released or declared dead. They are Fathers John Bako Shekwolo (2019), and Joseph Igweagu (2022), Christopher Ogide (2022), all of them Nigerians. Father Joël Yougbaré of Burkina Faso, was kidnapped in 2019, and nothing has been heard from him since.
13 Priests Murdered
Thirteen priests were murdered in 2024. In Mexico, where over the last years there has been a high number of priests murdered, Father Marcelo Pérez was killed by alleged members of a gang. The intent seems to have been an attempt to silence his activism in favour of natives’ rights. Two priests were murdered in South Africa just over a month ago: Father William Banda, of Zambia, was killed by a man who waited for him in the church. Father Paul Tatu Mothobi was killed after witnessing a murder. The killer obliged Father Paul to get into a car and then shot him in the head, seemingly to ensure that there were no witnesses.
A priest in Spain was also killed in 2024. Franciscan Father Juan Antonio Llorente Espín was murdered by a man who assaulted the monastery shouting that he wanted to kill all the priests, and wounded several others before fleeing from the place.
Father Robert Hoeffner and his sister were murdered in their home in the United States. The culprit stole the priest’s car and then killed his grandfather and a policeman before being killed by the Forces of Order.
Although not on the list, but meriting mention, are cases such as that of two catechists in Burkina Faso, and a Minister of the Word shot in front of a church in Honduras.
Fewer but Worrying Detentions
Fewer Catholic clergymen and men religious were arrested in 2024, but the number continues to be worrying. There are serious problems regarding religious freedom and a lack of legal support for victims in large areas of the world. According to data compiled by ACN, at least 71 clergymen and men religious were detained due to their faith or the mere fact of carrying out their religious mission throughout 2024. The number includes those arrested before 2024 and continued under arrest at some point that year.
For the purposes of this registration, ACN only includes those whose detentions can be regarded as irregular or have a religious motivation or abuse of power, and not the detained suspected of having committed common crimes. Nicaragua, in Central America, again heads the list of countries with Catholic Priests and religious arrested. Since January 2024, a total of 24 Catholic clergymen have been detained. However, if 19 Priests and Religious are included, who were arrested in previous years and who remained under custody at some time in 2024, the number rises to 44, slightly lower than the 47 arrested in 2023. Among them is Bishop Rolando Álvarez, detained in 2022 and released in 2024.
ACN does not include the numerous lay people also arrested by the regime for their collaboration with the Church. Several continue to be in prison, such as Lesbia Gutiérrez, Administrator of Caritas in the Matagalpa diocese, and Carmen Maria Sáenz, Legal Adviser of the same diocese. According to local sources, their families have been denied the right to visit them. Moreover, the Nicaraguan regime is doing all it can to have women religious leave the country.
Religious Persecution in Asia
The next country with the largest number of arrested clergymen is China, with nine cases known publicly, four of whom were detained in 2024. One was subsequently released that same year. The five remaining were already deprived previously of their freedom for religious motives and have been under custody, house arrest, or strict vigilance for years, in one case since 1997. To be noted is that, given the political reality in China, it’s probable that many clergymen are subject to restrictions of freedom of movement.
Belarus is also dealing with a very difficult situation, having seven priests under arrest since 2024. Of the seven, three were detained in 2023, one of whom remains in prison and was recently sentenced to 11 years for treason. The other four were arrested in 2024; three have been released.
Other cases of detentions for religious motives include two priests and a nun arrested in India. There is a growing pressure on Catholics and other religious minorities in a country dominated at present by Hindu nationalists. Other members of the Church have been threatened with detention in India, but were able to avoid it by requesting and obtaining early bail. Their cases continue to be investigated. The two Ukrainian Greek-Catholic priests arrested by the Russian Forces in 2022 and released in June 2024, are also on the list.
In some cases, the motives for the accusations or abductions are still unknown, or it’s not known if they are really motivated by religious discrimination. Father Aurélien Mukangwa of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was arrested for unknown motives at the airport, but was released after protests.