By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
ROME/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) - A Catholic charity says more than half of the world’s population lives in countries where Christians and others face religious persecution.
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) notes in its 16th report that over 4.9 billion people live in countries where religious freedom is under attack.
ACN’s 2023 report mentions a tense global climate in which terrorist attacks, anti-conversion laws, financial crises, electoral manipulations, and conflicts are rising.
One in every three countries has policies with “increasing violations of religious freedom,” concludes ACN’s bi-annual report about the plight of persecution in this world of nearly eight billion people.
It lists 61 out of 196 nations where citizens are reportedly affected by a crackdown on their faith.
On top are nations classified in a “red” category that denotes religious persecution. There are 28 of them, 13 of which are in Africa, where the situation in many regions has drastically worsened, researchers say.
ORANGE CATEGORY
The 33 “orange” category countries show a marked pejorative change in status since the last report regarding discrimination, mostly of religious minorities.
The third and last category is named “Under Observation” and includes countries where religious intolerance, discrimination, and episodes of persecution are “increasing.”
ACN says that governments are applying controversial bills to limit religious freedom or discriminate against faith communities without protests being voiced.
It also expresses concerns that violent attacks against the “wrong” religion are increasingly seen as “normal” and – especially in Latin America – are “not investigated” by authorities.
In Nigeria and Nicaragua, a growing number of religious majorities are being persecuted, and a culture of impunity is on the rise, according to ACN investigators. Thousands of Christians have been killed in Nigeria in recent years, several Christian sources say.
Some other nations in the ACN spotlight are India, Pakistan, Iran, Myanmar, Mozambique, DRC, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
The report also notes “growing persecution” against Muslims and antisemitism in Europe.