by Nathalie Raffray, Aid to the Church in Need
MILLIONS of Christians have been forced from their homes by conflict, extremism and religiously motivated violence, according to a major new report which warns that some of Christianity’s oldest communities face an increasingly uncertain future.
Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) today (Tuesday, 27th October) launched Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith, which concludes that Christian persecution has significantly worsened in more than half of the countries surveyed within the last two years.
Persecuted and Forgotten? provides global and regional analysis of 18 countries of key concern, from Nicaragua in Latin America to Burma (Myanmar) in South-East Asia.
The report found that the situation for Christians failed to improve in any country assessed, while conditions deteriorated in 10, including China, Nigeria and Pakistan.
Sub-Saharan Africa emerged as one of the most dangerous regions in the world to be a Christian.
Six of the 10 highest-ranked countries in the 2026 Global Terrorism Index are in Africa, while terrorist groups in northern Nigeria, the central Sahel and Mozambique have targeted churches, clergy and Christian villages.
Extremist violence is forcing communities from their homes in countries including Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Sudan.
At least 1 million Christians have been forced from their homes in Nigeria alone.
And in Burkina Faso, Persecuted and Forgotten? states that at least 40 percent of the landmass has been seized by militant Islamist groups, sparking a mass migration of Christians, amid reports that in one diocese alone 2,000 people had fled within 12 months.