Over 1,600 Christians killed for his or her faith since 2000 – study

A latest Vatican-led investigation has revealed that over 1,600 Christians worldwide have been killed due to their faith previously 25 years.

The report, compiled by a panel of theologians, historians, and Church experts, draws on authenticated testimonies, media accounts, and evidence gathered from bishops’ conferences and spiritual and institutions.

Backed by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the study highlights the worldwide scope of Christian martyrdom in the trendy era.

According to the findings, between 2000 and 2025, a minimum of 1,624 Christians were murdered for refusing to surrender their beliefs.

Sub-Saharan Africa saw the best variety of victims (643), followed by Asia and Oceania (357), the Americas (304), the Middle East and North Africa (277), and Europe (43).

High-profile cases include the 200 Christians killed in coordinated bombings against Catholic and Protestant churches on Easter Sunday 2019 in Sri Lanka, in addition to seven Anglican members from the Melanesian Brotherhood murdered within the Solomon Islands in 2003 while attempting to resolve a neighborhood dispute.

Archbishop Fabio Fabene, the pinnacle of the commission, noted: “Martyrdom has existed in all ages of the Church, but perhaps now greater than previously, many give up their lives so as to not betray the message of Christ.”

Dr Andrea Riccardi, founding father of the Sant’Egidio Community and the commission’s deputy, cautioned that the true variety of martyrs is probably going far greater “as martyrdom can’t be fully counted, especially in distant areas.”

The late Pope Francis, who commissioned the investigation in 2023, had called for all Christian denominations to be remembered, not only Catholics.

At the time, he had urged them to “gather the testimonies of life, as much as the shedding of blood, of those sisters and brothers of ours, in order that their memory can stand as a treasure cherished by the Christian community”. He also stated that “to all of them we owe an amazing debt, and we cannot forget them”. 

The current pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, invited church leaders across traditions to affix a memorial service on the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome on Sunday as a part of the Jubilee of Hope.

Dr Riccardi described the martyrs as “men and girls who believed in a God who was faithful to them even in antagonistic circumstances”.

“The Church regards the memory of the martyrs not as a moment of sorrow but as hope for the longer term,” he said. 

He continued: “The work of this commission and the ecumenical ceremony on Sunday 14th September show that our Church remains to be a Church of martyrs and that they’ve much to show us.

“We are contemporaries of those people whom we could have met and known personally in our lifetime.”

ACN’s international executive president, Regina Lynch, said the discoveries of the report “reflect the experience of our work on the bottom, helping communities that face constant existential threats”. 

She added: “ACN could be very proud to face with and support these Christians, but above all we’re grateful to learn from their testimony, which strengthens our faith, and that of our benefactors on daily basis.”