Religious persecution worldwide: A growing crisis for all humanity

By Francesca Merlo

Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized that discrimination against individuals for religious reasons is an intolerable act that threatens the fraternal bonds shared by humanity.

On World Day of the Poor, his plea was no different. Amid the devastating conflicts raging across the world, on Sunday, November 17, the Pope reiterated his prayers for all people persecuted because of their religion and beliefs around the world.

Today, millions of believers face discrimination, violence, and even death, simply for practicing their faith.

Persecution around the world

According to the Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)which monitors religious freedom, more than 360 million Christians live in areas where they face high levels of persecution. This includes violence, imprisonment, displacement and systemic discrimination. The 2023 organization Religious Freedom Report points out that two-thirds of the world’s population live in countries where religious freedom is either severely restricted or non-existent.

Persecution of Christians in Nigeria and India

Among the countries where Christians are persecuted for their faith is Nigeria, where Islamist extremists continue to attack Christian communities, often kidnapping and killing people who openly profess their faith. Often churches are destroyed.

Similarly, in India, where the majority of the population is Hindu, Christians and other religious minorities are experiencing an upsurge in hostilities.

The Middle East

The Middle East has been the scene of violence for decades and conflict and persecution in the region have decimated Christian populations. In Syria and Iraq, years of war and the threat of extremist groups like the so-called Islamic State have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee. International Open Days reports that only a fraction of these displaced communities have been able to return home and even then, they face ongoing difficulties rebuilding their lives.

The role of the Church

Pope Francis, throughout his pontificate, has called for prayer and solidarity for persecuted Christians around the world. Organizations such as ACN and Open Doors work tirelessly to provide financial assistance, rebuild communities, and raise awareness of the struggles faced by believers. The ACN emphasized in its latest report on the situation of persecuted Christians around the world that “when one member of the body of Christ suffers, we all suffer.”

But religious persecution does not stop with Christianity. This is a global problem that affects all faiths and beliefs, and therefore all of humanity.

According to ACN Religious Freedom ReportOther religious minorities also experience severe oppression, according to findings from other organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the Pew Research Center.

Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar

One such minority is the Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar, for whom Pope Francis often prays. Described as stateless by the Myanmar government, the Rohingya have faced systemic discrimination for decades. The situation worsened in 2017 when the Myanmar military launched a violent campaign against the Rohingya, leading to the deaths of thousands and the displacement of more than 700,000 who fled to neighboring Bangladesh.

The campaign, widely seen as ethnic cleansing by the United Nations and human rights organizations, resulted in massacres, sexual violence and the destruction of entire villages. Despite international condemnation, the Rohingya remain deprived of their basic rights, including citizenship, education and the freedom to practice their faith. They continue to live in crowded refugee camps with limited access to food, health care and security, and face constant threats of further violence.

Although the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar is the most recent, egregious and brutal form of religious persecution, other religious minorities continue to suffer at the hands of extremist governments. In Afghanistan, although very few in number, Hindus and Sikhs have been decimated and are fleeing the country in the face of threats from extremist groups.

A call to conscience

The Church, under the leadership of Pope Francis – nicknamed “Pope of the Peripheries” – continues to stand firm in its fight for religious freedom across the world, and Pope Francis so often extends his prayers and closeness to all people who suffer in any form. of injustice in the world, regardless of faith and belief, because “we are all members of one human family”.