Vatican Commission Documents Over 1,500 christian Martyrs Killed Since 2000
VATICANโค CITY – A โVaticanโข commission has documented more than 1,500 cases of Christians martyred โคworldwide since the year 2000, a tally encompassing victimsโฃ of religiously motivated violence, โorganized crime, andโฃ those targeted for defending environmental and social โprinciples. The grim record includes the 21 coptic Orthodox workers brutally beheaded by Islamic militants in Libya โin 2015, a case โคthat drew โคinternational condemnation.
The ongoing research,โค conducted by aโฃ study commission within the VaticanS saint-makingโฃ office, aims to recognize the breadth and diversity of contemporary Christian martyrdom, though it operates independentlyโฃ from the formal process ofโ beatification and canonization. The commission’s work highlights a growing global crisis of persecution faced by Christians, โprompting calls for increased awareness and โprotection of vulnerable communities. While a complete list of names is being withheld due to security โconcerns, theโข commission has released a regionalโ breakdown of the documented deaths.
The most notable number of deaths-643-occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, largely attributed to attacks by Islamic militant groups. Asia and Oceania accountedโค for 357 deaths,โข including victimsโ of the Easter Sunday 2019 suicide bombings targeting churches โคin Colombo, Sri โLanka. In the Americas, 304 Christians were โคkilled, many of whom wereโข missionaries and activists working to protect the Amazonโฃ rainforest from exploitation. The Middle East and North Africa saw 277 deaths,โ with a significant number beingโค Christians from non-Catholic denominations. โEurope itself recorded 43 deaths, โขbut an additional 110 European citizens-primarily missionary priests and nuns-wereโ killed in othre regions.
“The commission has also documented stories of Christiansโค killed by criminal organizations โฃorโฃ [as] their presence and defense of Christian principles โwas bothersome,” explained Andrea Riccardi, โคviceโ presidentโฃ of the commission.
The Vatican’s โฃacknowledgement of thes modern martyrs โunderscores a commitment to remembering those who have died for their faithโ and to advocating for religious โคfreedom globally. The study commission’s workโ isโค expected toโ continue, providing a crucial resource for understanding the challenges faced by Christians in an increasingly complex and โขoften โฃopposed world.