the wooden image of the scourged Christ returned to its place in the Sanctuary of the Flagellation in Jerusalem Photo: Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.

Leo XIV, China and attention to communities suffering for their faith

AsiaNews editorial director Fr. Gianni Criveller comments on the Pope’s words on China in an interview released in recent days: «He guarantees the continuity of previous choices, aware that there is time between now and the new expiry of the Agreement in 2028. But he also says he is listening to the “underground” communities that (rightly or wrongly) feel they have been sacrificed. So that the government’s narrative is not the only one in this complex and painful ecclesial affair.»

Nigeria: Report shows that 100 churches are attacked every month and 32 Christians are killed every day in the country

The destruction is not the only marker of persecution. According to Intersociety’s August report, more than 7,000 Christians were killed across Nigeria in the first 220 days of 2025 alone — an average of thirty-two a day. Since the violence erupted in 2009, the death toll has climbed to 185,000, including some 125,000 Christians and 60,000 Muslims accused of being “liberal” or insufficiently radical