Originally published at National Catholic Register
The persecution of Christians worldwide has only gotten worse, with militant Islam, oppressive regimes, and criminal gangs and extremists ramping up attacks during 2022–2024, according to a papal charity that supports persecuted Christians.
An Oct. 22 report from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) details the extent of violence and oppression faced by Christian communities in 18 countries of “key concern.” The report, which covers August 2022 to June 2024, states that human rights violations against Christians have increased since the 2020–2022 report in more than 60% of the countries surveyed.
The new report found that the six African nations examined saw an increase in Islamist violence, leading ACN to conclude that the epicenter of militant Islamist violence has “shifted from the Middle East to Africa.”
In parts of the African nations of Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mozambique, and elsewhere, Christians have continued to be terrorized by extremist violence, ACN said.
CNA has reported for years on violence against Christians in Nigeria, which has in recent years seen thousands of Christians terrorized, displaced, and killed, often by bandits operating with impunity under a largely Muslim-controlled federal government.
Ethnic and religious violence in Nigeria has claimed the lives of nearly 56,000
