In 2024, a total of 111 incidents targeting Christians were recorded, ranging from verbal harassment to physical assaults on clergy and vandalism of churches and holy sites. Thirty-five of these attacks were directed specifically at religious properties—sacred spaces turned into symbols of vulnerability. While Christian leaders have long warned of escalating hostility, this year’s figures show a trend that is no longer sporadic but systemic.

The perpetrators? In most identified cases, young ultra-Orthodox Jewish men associated with religious nationalist groups were behind the assaults. And while these are individuals, their actions are seen by many as symptoms of a wider climate—one in which political shifts have normalized religious intolerance.

“The climate has changed,” said one church official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s not just about individual extremists anymore. There’s a sense that the state is looking the other way—or worse, setting the tone.”

The Rossing Center, an interfaith organization that runs the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations, emphasized in its report that the sense of insecurity among Christians is not merely anecdotal. A survey included in the report found that nearly half (48%) of Christian youth under 30 are seriously considering leaving the region. Among those, 77% cited increasing discrimination and violence as the primary reason.

This quiet exodus is particularly stark in Jerusalem, where the Christian population is barely a sliver of what it once was. Of the city’s nearly one million residents, 13,000 are Christians—just 4% of its Arab population and a fraction of a fraction of the total. In contrast, the Jewish population continues to rise, driven in part by government-supported settlement expansions in East Jerusalem.

That growth isn’t coincidental. The report places it within a larger strategy of “Judaization,” a term that has increasingly entered public discourse as Israel accelerates plans to construct over 11,000 new housing units for Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem. Coupled with demographic shifts—such as the rise of Orthodox Jews now comprising 29% of the city’s residents—the trajectory is clear.

Legally, these demographic policies are bolstered by the 2018 Basic Law, which defines Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Critics argue this law has eroded the inclusive principles previously enshrined in the 1992 Basic Law, titled “Human Dignity and Liberty.” While the newer law has limited practical effects, its symbolic weight is significant—it enshrines a hierarchy of identity in a land long marked by coexistence.

“This is not just about attacks on churches,” said a Christian academic in Haifa. “It’s about a foundational change in how we are viewed—not as fellow citizens, but as tolerated guests.”

Christians in the Holy Land face additional challenges beyond religious discrimination. In northern regions like Galilee, organized crime has taken a heavy toll on Arab communities, with over 230 killings last year alone. Though Christians are not usually involved in these networks, they often find themselves caught in the crossfire, living under the dual burden of marginalization and violence.

Property disputes further complicate their position. The Custody of the Holy Land, which oversees many Christian religious sites, remains embroiled in multiple legal battles with municipal authorities over taxes, land rights, and zoning laws. While synagogues and mosques often benefit from broader tax exemptions, Christian institutions—especially schools and pilgrimage hostels—struggle under administrative pressure.

These overlapping issues create a perfect storm of disillusionment for a community that traces its roots back to the earliest days of the faith. With fewer births, more emigration, and mounting legal and social pressures, some fear that the Christian presence in the land of its origin may dwindle into symbolic memory.

Still, the report is not without hope. The Rossing Center continues to advocate for interfaith understanding and legal reforms to protect minority rights. And many Christians remain deeply committed to staying—not just out of duty to heritage, but out of faith in a better future.

“We will not disappear,” said a priest in the Old City of Jerusalem. “But we need allies. We need voices—Jewish, Muslim, and international—who will not let us be forgotten.”

In a city where every stone tells a story, the question now is what kind of story the Holy Land will tell about its Christian children in the decades to come.

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These figures include data from the ODIHR/OSCE, which found 1,230 anti-Christian hate crimes recorded by 10 European governments in 2023, up from 1,029 recorded by governments in 2022. The ODIHR/OSCE Hate Crime Data Report is also released on 15 November, in view of the International Day of Tolerance.

According to OIDAC Europe, countries of particular concern were France, with nearly 1,000 anti-Christian hate crimes in 2023; the United Kingdom, where incidents rose to more than 700; and Germany, which saw a 105% increase in anti-Christian hate crimes, rising from 135 in 2022 to 277 in 2023.

In addition to violent attacks, OIDAC Europe’s report also found discrimination against Christians in the workplace and in public life in some European countries, leading to increasing self-censorship among Christians in Europe.

The past year has also seen a number of restrictions on religious freedom by European governments, ranging from bans on religious processions to the targeting of Christians for the peaceful expression of their religious beliefs.

Full report here.

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The fact that armed gangs have begun operating in Mirebalais, a few dozen kilometres from the capital, which is already almost fully dominated by criminals, shows how the situation in the country has worsened considerably over the past few days. “Several murders took place during this attack, including two sisters from the local congregation of the Little Sisters of Saint Thérèse. All the prisoners have escaped, and the city is controlled by bandits,” said Archbishop Max Leroy Mésidor of Port-au-Prince in a message sent to ACN on Wednesday, 2 April.

ACN director of projects, Marco Mencaglia, who visited the congregation on one of his trips to the country as they are ACN project partners, expressed his deep grief over the death of the two sisters and the growing violence in Haiti, which has reached alarming levels, and is seriously affecting the local Church. “We ask that God grant them eternal rest, and we pray for their families and the safety of the congregation. Aid to the Church in Need would like to stress its continued support for and solidarity with the Haitian Church and issue an urgent call for prayer in the face of the increased violence and its devastating impact on the community,” said Mencaglia.

In an exclusive statement to ACN, Archbishop Mésidor explained that the situation in the country has worsened, and that the terrible crisis brought on by the increased violence is radically affecting the Church’s continued presence in the capital. “Twenty-eight parishes in the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince are closed, while around 40 are operating at minimum levels because the neighbourhoods are controlled by gangs. The priests have been forced to flee, finding refuge with their families or with other clerics. They need help. The archdiocese is also in difficulty,” the archbishop said.

“Here in Haiti our Lent has become a true Way of the Cross, but we offer it up in communion with the suffering of Christ. Haiti is burning and requires urgent help. Who will come to our aid?” he asks in desperation.

In a letter addressed to male and women religious of the archdiocese, dated 30 March, Archbishop Max Leroy Mésidor described the severity of the crisis. “We are going through one of the worst periods in our history as a people. I need not add insult to injury by enumerating all that we are suffering because of the general insecurity that has affected our compatriots for several years. Nonetheless, I must report some of the events which have taken place over the past few weeks: religious communities have been displaced, many schools are closed, elderly and sick religious sisters have had to be evacuated in the middle of the night, and entire congregations had to leave their nursing homes, with nowhere to place the sick sisters.”

“The list of religious congregations in difficulty is very long. I have no words to describe what is currently happening in Port-au-Prince. It is an unbelievable situation. Our consecrated brothers and sisters are actively taking part in the suffering of our people,” the letter reads.

“The murder of these two religious sisters is a sad confirmation of the terrible suffering that the congregations are going through,” said Marco Mencalia. ACN also calls on the international community not to abandon the Haitian Church and people in this time of extreme suffering. “The situation requires concrete gestures of solidarity. The Church in Haiti is suffering, but has not lost the Faith,” the director of projects concluded.

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The building, constructed in the 1930s to serve as the Episcopal Palace, has now been repurposed as an office for «Sermesa», a company affiliated with Nicaragua’s social security system. This seizure is the latest in a series of escalations targeting the Diocese of Matagalpa, which has suffered some of the harshest repression under Ortega’s rule.

The confiscation of the curia is widely seen as an extension of the Ortega regime’s vendetta against Bishop Rolando Álvarez, the exiled leader of the diocese. Arrested in 2022 after a two-week police raid on churches in Matagalpa, Álvarez was sentenced in 2023 to 26 years in prison on charges of “treason.” Stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship, he became stateless in a blatant violation of international law.

After months in prison, Álvarez was forcibly exiled to the Vatican in January 2024 as part of a deal between the Holy See and the Nicaraguan government. Since then, he has maintained a low profile, breaking his silence only occasionally to reaffirm his spiritual connection to his homeland. In December 2024, he celebrated Mass in Seville, Spain, offering prayers for Nicaragua and for the centennial of the Matagalpa diocese.

In interviews with Spanish media and Catholic broadcaster EWTN earlier this year 2025, Álvarez refrained from direct political statements, instead emphasizing his role as a pastor. He made it clear that, despite exile, he remains the legitimate bishop of Matagalpa and the apostolic administrator of Estelí. “I was ordained for the Diocese of Matagalpa, and I remain its shepherd as long as God wills,” he declared.

These remarks enraged the Ortega-Murillo regime. In an official statement, Nicaragua’s foreign ministry condemned the Vatican for “meddling in national affairs” and accused the Church of “assigning authority to individuals who are no longer Nicaraguan citizens due to their intolerable conduct.” The regime’s statement even resorted to historical attacks, accusing the Church of crimes dating back to the Inquisition and sexual abuse scandals.

The attack on Álvarez and the Matagalpa diocese is emblematic of a broader strategy to silence religious institutions in Nicaragua. Christian organizations—both Catholic and Protestant—have been relentlessly targeted. Over the past five years, the government has shut down more than 5,660 nonprofit organizations, including numerous faith-based groups. Among the most recent closures are the Christian Association of the Mount of the Holy Anointing, the Evangelical Pentecostal Missionary Church Ministry, and the Evangelical Ministry Cherubini of the King.

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The Foreign Minister said in his statement: “We pronounced ourselves on the declarations that, in the name of Vatican State, are made from its pages and platforms, statements that constitute an insult and an offense to the sovereignty and dignity of the Nicaraguan State.” It’s obvious that Monsignor Rolando Álvarez’s statement was not in the name of the Vatican, although the Ministry’s note repeats it: «Furthermore, without any supranational political authority, the Vatican State intends to exercise control over the positions and powers granted in Nicaragua to persons who have ceased to be Nicaraguans, due to inappropriate and intolerable conduct in the promotion of crimes, politically instigated, as well as constant calls to break the peace, with all kinds of violence, falsehoods and planned slander, inflicting anguish, suffering and pain on the families of our country.»

Weeks earlier, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement on January 29, citing the report of the Group of Experts on Human Rights on Nicaragua, stating that the «Government of Nicaragua continues to perpetrate serious systematic violations of human rights, amounting to crimes against humanity, for political reasons.»

Jan Simon, President of the Group of Experts, said: “President Ortega,
Vice-President Murillo [Rosario, the President’s wife, ed.] and the top-level officials identified in the investigation must be held accountable before the International Community, just as Nicaragua must be held accountable as a State that persecutes its own people, targeting University students, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant peoples, peasants, and members of the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations.»

The press release also states: «The report notes that the Nicaraguan Government’s persecution of real or perceived Opposition figures has become more subtle. Violations, abuses, and crimes are perpetrated not only to dismantle active Opposition efforts but also to eliminate all critical voices and, in the long term, discourage any new organizations and social mobilization initiatives.»

In the aforementioned interview, Monsignor Álvarez confirmed that he is the Bishop of Matagalpa and Apostolic Administrator of Esteli by mandate of Pope Francs. The Government interpreted this statement as Vatican interference, stating «with the greatest vigor against the promotion of stateless, destructive, ambitious, and incorrigible people, as well as the alleged installation of such despicable people as authorities that no one recognizes.»

Jan Simon added: «Nicaragua is trapped in a spiral of violence marked by the persecution of all forms of political opposition, real or perceived, both domestically and abroad. Furthermore, the Government has entrenched a spiral of silence that cripples any potential Opposition.»

The UN document states: «Family members of victims of human rights violations are targeted by the Government solely for their ties to real or perceived opponents. This extension of these violations is particularly serious when it comes to children. Children have been subjected to violence because of their parental relationship or the activities and/or opinions expressed by their parents or family members. Deportations and entry bans to Nicaragua have resulted in the separation of several children from their parents. Several have been denied valid passports to join their parents abroad.”

The European Parliament has repeatedly condemned the authoritarian development in Nicaragua. In June 2023, MEPs called on European Union (EU) States to activate mechanisms to investigate human rights violations committed by the dictatorship. In October 2024, the EU extended its sanctions against 21 official and three institutions of the regime until 2025. These sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes.

The Amendment to the Nicaraguan Constitution, which has already entered into force, was rejected by MEPs. They criticized Ortega and Murillo for having thus secured absolute control. The Constitutional Amendment is a further restriction on democracy and the rule of law. Particularly controversial is the abolition of independent institutions and the central power structure.

The persecution against the Catholic Church was demonstrated by the police raid on the Nazareth Medical Clinic, owned by the Franciscans, on January 26, 2025, located in the municipality of San Rafael del Norte, in the Department of Jinotega. The Clinic was part of the social works promoted by Friar Odorico D. Andrea, which provided medical care with specialties in dentistry, gynecology, laboratory medicine, pharmacy, optometry, internal medicine, psychology, and general medicine.

In addition, 30 Poor Clare nuns of the Order of Saint Clare were expelled from Nicaragua on the night of Tuesday, January 28, according to sources of the Catholic Church and local media. The nuns were forced to leave three convents, located in Manaus, Matagalpa, and Chinandega.

Aci Prensa reported on March 16 that the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo is persecuting the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations with close surveillance of priests, checking their cell phones, demanding weekly reports of their activities, and restricting their freedom of movement.

The Nicaraguan newspaper Mosaico CSI reported that «priests who remain in Nicaragua are required to deliver entirely theological homilies. They cannot address issues related to the Church’s Social Doctrine or social criticism.» Furthermore, it details that «they receive frequent visits from the police, who check their cell phones to see if they are communicating with Bishops and priests outside the country or with journalists.»

Daniel Ortega’s regime has banned or supressed 11,763 processions in Nicaragua since 2019. Since then, harassment and restrictions on religious freedom have prevented public religious demonstrations, such as the open-air Via Crucis processions during Holy Week. In 2024, 4,800 processions were cancelled. Parishes are seeking alternative solutions with processions and Rosary prayers inside churches.

The post This Is How Religious Persecution Has Increased in Nicaragua So Far in 2025, with the Government’s Insults to the Vatican appeared first on ZENIT - English.

According to reports from the victim’s family received by the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the attack was allegedly related to Waqas’s refusal to convert to Islam after being coerced by Zohaib. It is also alleged that Zohaib accused Waqas of desecrating sacred pages of the Quran found in the trash. Police are investigating the incident, which has been registered as attempted murder.

Waqas suffered severe neck injuries and is receiving treatment at a public hospital in Lahore. Meanwhile, Zohaib has been arrested following the filing of a First Information Report (FIR).

Father Lazar Aslam, a Capuchin Franciscan priest in Pakistan, visited the victim in hospital and expressed his concern to ACN: «I prayed for his speedy recovery and for the well-being of his entire family. The attack on Waqas Masih is a harsh reminder of the challenges faced by religious minorities in Pakistan and the urgent need for social change to promote tolerance and protect the rights of all citizens.»

«We humbly call on the international community to pray for the victims and their families, as well as to raise awareness about the difficult situation for marginalised communities in Pakistan, ensuring that their voices are heard and their rights protected,» he added.

The priest also emphasised the need to act against the troubling trend of false blasphemy accusations: «Sadly, making false accusations of blasphemy and harassing vulnerable minority communities has become a disturbing trend in Pakistan. We urge state institutions and responsible individuals to take concrete steps to prevent such incidents and ensure the protection of minority rights.»

This incident highlights the persistent vulnerability and discrimination faced by minority groups in Pakistan, particularly Christians. The country, which is majority Muslim, has experienced an alarming trend of social coercion and violence against religious minorities; girls are often forcibly married and converted, and daily discrimination is a harsh reality for many.

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With these two additional cases, the number of religious men kidnapped in Nigeria,  since the beginning of 2025, rises to 12, two of whom – Father Sylvester Okechukwu and seminarian Andrew Peter – were murdered by their captors. In the same period in 2024, the total number of kidnapped religious was three, with no deaths. In 2023 there were two abductions with one murder, and in 2022 there were seven with one murder. This makes the first quarter of 2025 the worst since ACN began to compile data about kidnapped priests and seminarians, murdered or arrested worldwide. In addition to these 12 cases, there are still three priests, abducted in previous years, who have never been released or declared dead. 

Some attacks against the clergy are motivated by aversion to. Christianity, but many of the abductions are carried out by criminals seeking money by demanding ransoms. It’s the case of two priests recently abducted in Yola. Seven of the 12 abductions registered up to now in 2025, have taken place in the South of the country, which is predominantly Christian, whereas the five remaining kidnappings happened in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, which is more unstable. Of the two murders, one took place in the South and the other in the Middle Belt. 

The Nigerian Bishops have tirelessly requested the Authorities to improve the country’s security conditions for the good of all the people, constantly appealing to the faithful not to seek justice on their own. ACN echoes these appeals and confirms its commitment to support Nigeria’s suffering Church.

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On March 14, Archbishop Naumann formally petitioned the Leavenworth County District Court for the immediate return of the sacred items. Citing Kansas law governing unlawfully taken property, he named as defendants Michael T. Stewart, Travis L. Roberts, and their organization, The Grotto Society, also known as The Satanic Grotto. The court filing argues that the Catholic Church retains ownership of all consecrated Eucharistic species worldwide, making their unauthorized possession by any outside entity not only illicit but profoundly offensive to Catholic doctrine.

 A Challenge to Catholic Beliefs 

The Catholic Church teaches that during Mass, the bread and wine undergo transubstantiation, becoming the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ while maintaining the appearance of bread and wine. For Catholics, the Eucharist is the heart of their faith, described in the Catechism as “the source and summit of the Christian life.” The alleged theft of consecrated hosts is not merely a legal matter but a direct assault on what the Church considers its most sacred treasure.

“This is not just about property—it is about protecting what we hold most sacred,” Archbishop Naumann stated in the legal petition. “The Eucharist is of inestimable value, and its importance cannot be measured in monetary terms.”

According to court documents, the case hinges on Stewart’s own admissions, which were made publicly through Reddit posts and private phone calls. Using the online alias “xsimon666x” and calling himself “Simon Satanas,” Stewart boasted on social media that his group had already obtained a consecrated host and wine. On March 8, he allegedly confirmed this claim in a phone call with Gerald “Chuck” Weber Jr., executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference. Stewart reportedly expressed his intention to desecrate the Eucharist during the upcoming event and even sent Weber a text message claiming he would “kill Jesus.”

A Provocative Event and Public Outrage

The planned black mass has ignited outrage among Catholics and faith leaders across Kansas. The Satanic Grotto has openly promoted the event on social media, describing it as a ritual to forge a connection between Satan and the Kansas State Capitol. The group’s Facebook page further declared that their goal was for “God to fall, and Kansas to be embraced by the black flame of Lucifer.”

The Kansas Catholic Conference has condemned the event as an act of “explicit anti-Catholic bigotry” and “an insult not only to Catholics but to all people of goodwill.” The controversy has also sparked calls for state intervention. Archbishop Naumann and other religious leaders are urging Governor Laura Kelly to prevent the event from taking place on state property.

The Legal Fight for the Eucharist 

In his court filing, Archbishop Naumann argues that Stewart, Roberts, and The Satanic Grotto have no legitimate right to possess consecrated hosts or wine, as they are neither ordained Catholic priests nor extraordinary ministers authorized to handle the Eucharist. The petition demands the immediate return of the sacred elements and, if necessary, requests the sheriff’s office to intervene and seize them.

The archbishop has also requested an emergency order restraining the defendants from destroying, consuming, or desecrating the Eucharist while legal proceedings continue. The court has scheduled a hearing for March 20 to determine the next steps in the case.

Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Kansas City is calling for prayer and action. On March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, Archbishop Naumann plans to re-consecrate the state of Kansas to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a spiritual act of defiance against what many see as an attack on their faith.

The Broader Implications 

This legal battle is rare, but not entirely unprecedented. Similar incidents involving the theft of consecrated hosts have occurred in the past, often tied to anti-Catholic demonstrations or occult practices. However, this case is unusual because it involves a formal court petition asserting the Church’s ongoing ownership of the Eucharist, even after it has left its physical custody.

The outcome of this case could set a legal precedent regarding the rights of religious institutions over their sacred objects.

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Bishop Shao, who is 61, has refused to belong to the official Church controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. In 2007 Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop Coadjutor to succeed Monsignor Vincenzo Zhu Wei-Fang, who died in September 2016.

Wenzhu city has 1,42 million inhabitants and its metropolitan area is 9.6 million. It is located in the country’s south-east coast, on the southern bank of the mouth of the Ou River, surrounded by hills and mountains, so that it was isolated for a long time. Many inhabitants have emigrated to Europe and the United States.

The Authorities fined Monsignor Shao because the Mass, he celebrated, was illegal, according to article 71 of the Regulations of Religious Affairs, and represented “a serious crime.” The Bishop rejected the payment because the Church’s activities do not violate the law. According to the National Security Office, the detention will guarantee the Bishop’s safety. His whereabouts are unknown and his detention will be long lasting.

Because of his refusal to join the Patriotic Association, the Authorities do not accept Shao as Titular Bishop and consider the See vacant, supporting Father Ma Xianshi, a Patriotic priest, as the diocese’s leader. Monsignor Shao has suffered several arrests; the Church of Wenzhou is regarded as clandestine and has organized a prayer campaign to support him.

Monsignor Shao sent a letter to the diocese on February 25, inviting the faithful to pray for Pope Francis, to accompany him in the Mass and to pray the Rosary so that God will sustain him with His grace in his illness.

It is noteworthy that the National Security Office and the Department of Religious Affairs also interfered with a pilgrimage of several hundred Catholics, from the Cangnan parish in the Wenzhou jurisdiction, prohibiting their departure.

Every Sunday, for the past few years, plainclothes officers have entered the churches of the Wenzhou diocese to prevent any children or adolescents from entering. Recently, the National Security Office has delegated surveillance to local authorities in the diocese’s neighborhoods, guarding the churches from 7 a.m. until noon and also preventing priests from celebrating Mass.

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Archbishop Arbach described the difficult situation Syria is facing following the fall of the Assad regime: “People don’t have jobs, there is a lack of food and of medicine. Many people are asking when this will end, they can’t see a future and they want to leave.” According to the prelate, it has become commonplace to see people wandering in the streets of Homs talking to themselves in an atmosphere of loneliness, fear and sadness. The archbishop asks for the lifting of international economic sanctions, which continue to have a deep effect on a country which is still in a very fragile situation.

Remaining in Syria

The Syrian Church faces great challenges to address the needs of its faithful. The Archbishop of Homs explains that “we are supporting our faithful in every sense of the word: paying rent, providing medication, food and clothing, and also sustaining them spiritually so that they feel close to God, to encourage them to remain in their land, in their country, and to preserve Syria’s roots, which are the Christians.” Archbishop Arbach thanks ACN for all the support it has been providing to the Church in Syria, to help the Syrian Christian community.

The Syrian Church leader calls attention, once again, to the real risk of the Christian population in the Middle East disappearing altogether. “I encourage people to wait, and to stay firm, because without the Christians, there can be no future for Syria. Christians are the roots of Syria and Syria is the cradle of Christianity. In Damascus we can still find the places where Saint Paul converted to Christianity in the first century. We still have first-century churches and monasteries, and we have kept Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, alive.”

Indiscriminate attacks

The indiscriminate attacks which took place last weekend, 8 and 9 March, in the region of Latakia and Tartus in western Syria, killed over 1,000 people, including entire families. The Alawites, a minority Shia Muslim group, were particularly targeted. The attacks have been attributed to militants from the HTS group, which led the overthrow of the previous Syrian government.

Syria has been going through a time of great uncertainty since the fall of Bashar Al Assad’s regime on 8 December. Power is currently in the hands of an interim government, led by President Ahmed Al Sharaa, who has promised a transition to new democratic elections.

Archbishop in “Night of Witnesses”

The Archbishop of Homs will be participating in the “Night of Witnesses” vigil, in the Cathedral of Almudena, Madrid, on 14 March. This prayer and witness vigil for persecuted Christians around the world will be presided over by Cardinal José Cobo and accompanied by Hakuna Group Music. Participation in the vigil is free of charge, and it can also be followed through ACN Spain’s YouTube channel.

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