By Our Religious Correspondent
London : Christians’ suffering increased due to violence ,discrimination and other human rights abuses around the world according to CAN reported released here on October 22. Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (CAN) launched “ Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2022-24 “ at an event in the UK Parliament, revealing that Christian persecution has significantly worsened in most countries surveyed. “Persecuted and Forgotten?” provides global and regional analysis, examining the situation for Christians in 18 countries of key concern –from Nicaragua in Latin America to Burma (Mynamar) in the Far East- between 2022 summer and 2024 summer.
Countries where Christian persecution and oppression have increased included world powers such as China and India , as well as Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country.
For the first time in the report’s 18-year history, Nicaragua is featured in response to extreme oppressive measures targeting Christians, notably the mass detention and expulsion of clergy. The report featured first-hand testimonies from survivors of anti-Christian attacks, in addition to details of incidents based on information obtained from CAN local contacts.
Recurring themes in the report included the displacement of Christian communities following attacks by extremist groups and the forced marriage and conversion of Christian women and girls, as well as the kidnapping and intimidation of priests and the publication of derogatory content about Christianity in school text books.
Anti-Christian persecution has been perpetrated by both state and non-state actors, such as terrorist organizations and other groups of religious extremist and criminal gangs.
The report stated that militant Islam was responsible for the increased persecution in all the six African reviewed , indicated that “the epicenter of militant Islamist violence has shifted from the Middle East to Africa”. It went on to explain: “Mass migration of Christian communities, triggered by militant Islamist attacks, has destabilized and disenfranchised them, raising questions about the long- term survival of the Church in key regions”.
