The Vatican has documented 1,624 Christians killed for their faith from the year 2000 to 2025, recognizing them as martyrs across various denominations. However, the Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary estimates the actual figure to be much higher, ranging from 100,000 to 160,000 per year. This stark difference arises from the definition of being “killed for their faith.” Gordon-Conwell’s broader interpretation includes Christians who died in wars or were killed without regard to the motives of their assailants. Notably, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, approximately 4 million Christians perished between 2000 and 2010, which skews the statistics dramatically.
In contrast, the figures acknowledged by the Vatican reflect predominantly victims of jihadist extremism, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and certain regions in Asia. Other contributing factors include violent criminal organizations targeting religious figures in the Americas and conflicts marked by ethnic and political disputes intertwined with religious issues. While state persecution remains a concern, it is notably less prevalent than under past communist regimes.
This violence underscores a disturbing global trend of increasing persecution of Christians. Reports indicate that attacks on churches in the United States have surged during the current administration, jumping from 98 incidents in 2021 to 485 in 2023, with 415 more reported in 2024. The baseline from 2018 stood at a mere 50 incidents.
Among the most tragic instances of violence is the mass shooting that occurred at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 27, 2023. The assailant, 28-year-old Aiden Hale, a former student, specifically targeted the Presbyterian institution, resulting in the deaths of three nine-year-old children and three adults. This act of violence was confirmed as intentional against a Christian school.
Another incident unfolded on August 27, 2025. A transgender mass shooter attacked the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis during a school-wide Mass, claiming the lives of two children and injuring twenty-one others, including students and elderly congregants.
Attacks on Catholic churches have been particularly prevalent, with CatholicVote.org recording 522 incidents from May 28, 2020, through 2025. These incidents include extreme acts such as arson, vandalism, and illegal disruptions of Mass, demonstrating a clear trend of hostility towards Christianity. The breakdown of attacks disclosed in the report reveals a disturbing escalation: 60 in 2020, 83 in 2021, peaking at 143 in 2022, followed by 108 in 2023, 86 in 2024, and 42 thus far in 2025.
Despite the mounting evidence of hostility, calls for action from organizations such as CatholicVote have largely gone unaddressed. In December 2021, they urged the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute crimes against Catholic churches. Although a “15-day review” was promised, little meaningful action appears to have followed.
The Vatican’s findings highlight the global nature of this persecution. The documented martyrs include 643 cases from Sub-Saharan Africa, with jihadist violence claiming the highest number of lives. In Asia and Oceania, 357 fatalities have been recorded, notably including the 200 victims from the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka. In the Americas, 304 Christians, targeted largely by cartels and criminal groups, lost their lives. In the Middle East and North Africa, 277 were recorded, while Europe saw 43, plus another 110 Europeans killed abroad, primarily missionaries.
While the Vatican has withheld a complete list for security reasons, it acknowledged several emblematic names of martyrs. Sister Dorothy Stang, an American nun murdered in Brazil in 2005, famously declared, “This is my only weapon,” while holding her Bible before her murderers. Father Ragheed Ganni, a Chaldean priest from Iraq, was shot in 2007 for refusing to close his parish, demonstrating a commitment to his faith despite the peril.
Another tragic example is Brother Francis Tofi, an Anglican who was tortured and killed in 2003 while mediating a conflict in the Solomon Islands. Ten-year-old Abish Masih died in a 2015 bomb attack on a church in Pakistan, while twenty-one Coptic Orthodox Christians were executed by ISIS on a Libyan beach the same year, later recognized by Pope Francis.
Pope Leo XIV recently presided over an ecumenical prayer service where the legacy of these martyrs was emphasized. He remarked that the “blood of martyrs is a source of hope and unity for Christians everywhere.” He reminded attendees that persecution did not fade with past dictatorships but persists, and in some areas intensifies. “Their martyrdom continues to spread the Gospel in a world marked by hatred, violence, and war,” he asserted, encapsulating the conviction that, while physically killed, their voices and the love they’ve shown cannot be silenced.
Regina Lynch, of Aid to the Church in Need, echoed these sentiments, reflecting on the daily risks faced by Christians around the world for their faith. The Vatican’s inclusive service brought together representatives from over thirty denominations, showcasing the solidarity of Christians facing persecution, regardless of their traditions. Pope Leo emphasized that these martyrs exhibit a hope-filled legacy, signifying the triumph of good over evil.
Concluding the service, Pope Leo prayed, “May the blood of so many witnesses hasten the arrival of the blessed day when we will drink from the same cup of salvation,” reinforcing the message that the struggle faced by these martyrs continues to resonate deeply within the larger Christian community across the globe.
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