According to a new study, Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world, with around 90,000 killed for their faith in 2016.
Massimo Introvigne, Director of the Centre for Studies on New Religions, told Vatican Radio that around half a billion Christians in the world are unable to express their faith freely, while around 90,000 – one every six minutes – died for their faith in the past year alone.
Referring to statistics from the Centre for the Study of Global Christianity, Mr Introvigne said around 70 per cent of Christians murdered in 2016 died in tribal conflicts in Africa. These deaths were included, he said, because very often they involved Christians who refuse to take up arms for reasons of conscience.
“The other 30 per cent, or 27,000, were killed in terror attacks, the destruction of Christian villages, or government persecution.”
The Catholic Church is considering possible sainthood for individual Christians killed in territories controlled by ISIS. He said some Christians had risked almost certain death by staying in these territories to give testament to their faith.
The statistics, soon to be released, do offer some hope, however, as the number of Christians killed is down from 105,000 in 2015 – although, Mr Introvigne points out, Christians remain the most persecuted religious group on the planet.
In March, the Chaldean Bishop of Aleppo reported that in just five years of conflict, the Christian population of Syria has been reduced by two thirds.