Millions of Christians face growing persecution, says report

More than 200 million Christians worldwide are at constant risk of persecution because of their religious beliefs according to a new report by Church in Chains.

The Irish charity’s global guide lists 60 countries where Christians face persecution and highlights how the persecution of Christians is increasing both in terms of the number of Christians facing persecution and the intensity of that persecution.

The report was published in Dublin last week by Revd Trevor Sargent, a Church of Ireland minister and former leader of the Green Party.

In his address, Revd Sargent likened the persecution of Christians to a “canary in the coalmine”, warning that if the right to religious freedom is denied in a country, it is likely that many more basic freedoms are also denied.

“It is time now for all concerned people to act,” he said.

Some persecution is perpetrated by authoritarian regimes such as China, North Korea and Eritrea which wish to keep Christianity and other religions under strict control.

In other countries such as Nigeria and India persecution, comes from violent fundamentalists of other religions intent on forcing Christians out.

Speaking at the launch, David Turner, director of Church in Chains, said that “the persecution of Christians worldwide has been ignored for far too long by successive Irish governments” though they have repeatedly pledged to prioritise freedom of religion or belief in foreign policy.

Regrettably, he added, they have not followed through by raising individual cases of persecution directly with the governments actively persecuting or facilitating the persecution.

The new guide demonstrated the “overwhelming need for action to give credence to their words”, he said.

Particular concerns include the ongoing violence, amounting to genocide, in Nigeria’s middle belt, the dire situation faced by the church in Afghanistan under the Taliban, the Iranian government’s efforts to stop the church growing in Iran, anti-conversion laws in India and the ever-tightening restrictions imposed on Christians in China.