Christians Remain the Most Persecuted Religious Group Globally, Archishop States

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The Holy See’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva is urging governments to strengthen protections for religious freedom as Christianity remains the most persecuted religious group worldwide.

Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations, spoke at an event titled “Standing with Persecuted Christians: Defending the Faith and Christian Values” on March 3, where he noted that hundreds of millions of Christians are persecuted for their faith, The Christian Post reported.

“Almost 400 million Christians worldwide face persecution or violence, making them the most persecuted religious community in the world,” he said. “This means that one in seven Christians is affected.”

He also cited several figures, including the fact that nearly 5,000 Christians were killed for their faith in 2025, an average of around 13 deaths each day. He added that over 760 anti-Christian attacks occurred in Europe in 2024, plus 2,211 recorded incidents involving legal action against individuals for activities like silent prayer or quoting scripture that same year, as reported by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe.

The archbishop contended that governments are responsible for protecting freedom of religion for believers.

“It is the State’s duty to protect freedom of religion or belief,” he said.

Archbishop Balestrero also stated that freedom of religion is a fundamental human right recognized in international law. He added that the government must protect believers and not prevent them from practicing their faith both publicly and privately.

The archbishop concluded his address by describing that Christian persecution is ultimately an attack on the deeper spiritual and social values represented by the cross. He argued that protecting freedom of religion not only protects believers “to respond freely to the call of truth,” but it also preserves human dignity and social harmony.

Additional sources have also supported the rampant persecution of Christians around the globe.

The Open Doors World Watch List 2026 found that 388 million Christians currently face severe persecution and discrimination, up 8 million from the previous year.

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388 Million Christians Face Persecution Worldwide, Report Finds

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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.