A Vatican-led investigation has revealed that more than 1,600 Christians have been killed worldwide for their faith in the past 25 years.
The report, supported by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), was compiled by a panel of theologians, historians, and church experts. It drew on testimonies, media reports, and information provided by bishops’ conferences and religious institutions.
Between 2000 and 2025, at least 1,624 Christians were confirmed to have died rather than renounce their faith. The highest number of victims came from sub-Saharan Africa (643), followed by Asia and Oceania (357), the Americas (304), the Middle East and North Africa (277), and Europe (43).
The study highlights high-profile cases such as the 200 worshippers killed in the Easter Sunday bombings of 2019 in Sri Lanka and the seven members of the Melanesian Brotherhood murdered in the Solomon Islands in 2003.
Archbishop Fabio Fabene, who led the commission, said martyrdom has been a feature of every era of the Church. “Perhaps now more than in the past, many surrender their lives in order not to betray the message of Christ,” he said.
Dr Andrea Riccardi, deputy head of the commission, warned that the actual number of Christian martyrs is likely to be much higher, particularly in remote regions where accurate records are difficult to obtain.
The late Pope Francis, who commissioned the investigation in 2023, stressed the importance of remembering all Christian denominations. He described the martyrs as a treasure for the wider Church, saying, “to all of them we owe a great debt, and we cannot forget them.”
Pope Leo XIV has since invited leaders from across Christian traditions to attend a memorial service at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome on 14 September, as part of the Jubilee of Hope.
Riccardi described the martyrs as a source of strength for today’s Church. “The memory of the martyrs is not sorrow but hope for the future,” he said. “We are contemporaries of these people whom we could have met and known personally in our lifetime.”
ACN president Regina Lynch welcomed the report, noting that it reflects the reality faced by Christian communities supported by the charity. “Above all we are grateful to learn from their testimony, which strengthens our faith, and that of our benefactors every day,” she said.
Adapted from Christian Today UK.
