New Mass Kidnapping of Christians in Nigeria

Jan 21, 2026 17:38

November 21, 2025: Police officers guard the school after the mass abduction of students. Photo: Deeni Jibo/AP Photo/picture alliance

Persecuted Christians

How many Catholic missionaries and pastoral workers were killed in 2025? Report reveals the figures

17 missionaries were killed worldwide in 2025, including priests, women religious, seminarians, and lay people

Dec 30, 2025 17:15

ZENIT Staff

Analysis Opinion•Local Church•Persecuted Christians

American missiles, persecuted Christians, and a country that cannot protect them: why did Trump bomb part of Nigeria?

The airstrikes, carried out in coordination with Abuja, targeted militant camps hidden in dense forest areas of Sokoto State, near the border with Niger

Dec 29, 2025 15:55

Elizabeth Owens

Holy Land•Persecuted Christians

Muslims set fire to Catholic Christmas tree in the West Bank

The message from the Christian community was unequivocal. Even if the tree were burned a hundred times, they said, it would be rebuilt a thousand times more

Dec 24, 2025 19:49

ZENIT Staff

Analysis Opinion•Persecuted Christians

Nigeria: A decade of terror for Catholic priests

New data highlights scale of priest kidnappings amid Nigeria’s security crisis

Dec 23, 2025 15:36

Maria Lozano

Persecuted Christians

Freedom Before Christmas: Nigeria’s St. Mary’s Abductions End, but the Questions Remain

For the Catholic Church in Nigeria, the episode reopens painful questions about the safety of faith-based institutions and the pastoral care of traumatized communities. Bishops and clergy have repeatedly warned that schools and parishes are increasingly vulnerable, even as they continue to serve populations with few alternatives

Dec 23, 2025 15:30

Elizabeth Owens

One in three Mexican bishops will be replaced by Pope Leo XIV between 2026 and 2027

The generational shift is also visible in the provenance of current appointments. As of the beginning of 2026, 52.5 percent of Mexico’s bishops and archbishops were appointed by Pope Francis, 27.6 percent by Benedict XVI, 17.2 percent by John Paul II, and just 2.6 percent by Leo XIV himself. That last figure is set to rise sharply

For the first time, a Pope will address the Spanish Parliament: it will be Leo XIV during his visit to Madrid in June 2026

According to converging confirmations from parliamentary and ecclesial sources, the Vatican and the Spanish Congress have agreed to convene a joint session of both chambers of the Cortes Generales so that the Pope may address deputies and senators gathered in the hemicycle

New Mass Kidnapping of Christians in Nigeria

New arrests of house church members in China

Between Drones, Settlers and Classrooms: How Violence and Administrative Israeli Pressure Are Reshaping Palestinian Life

One in seven Christians worldwide suffers persecution: revealing data from a new professional report

Sacred Spaces Under Strain: A Wave of Attacks Jolts Catholic Parishes on NY

Calculating the cost: 2026 begins with massacres of Christians in Nigeria. The figures behind a growing global crisis of persecution

53 Humanitarian Organizations Denounce «False Narratives» to Sabotage Those Saving Lives in Palestine

How many Catholic missionaries and pastoral workers were killed in 2025? Report reveals the figures

American missiles, persecuted Christians, and a country that cannot protect them: why did Trump bomb part of Nigeria?

Muslims set fire to Catholic Christmas tree in the West Bank

Nigeria: A decade of terror for Catholic priests

Freedom Before Christmas: Nigeria’s St. Mary’s Abductions End, but the Questions Remain