One in seven Christians worldwide is persecuted for their faith, experts say

International experts warned of growing threats to religious freedom at a panel held on August 21, 2026, in Rimini, Italy, as part of the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples, an annual gathering organized by the Catholic movement Communion and Liberation. The discussion looked at the role of religious freedom in contemporary geopolitics, with a focus on minorities in crisis areas and the part faith communities play in reconciliation.

The panel was moderated by Andrea Avveduto, a journalist and spokesman for the Italian Committee for Freedom of Religion or Belief. The speakers were Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Diocese of Sokoto, Nigeria; Cristina Duranti, director of the Good Shepherd International Foundation; and Mairead McGuinness, a European Union special envoy. Maria Cristiana Mele, Italy's special envoy for the promotion of religious freedom, opened the session.

Nigeria: deadliest country for Christians

Kukah described how terrorist groups in Nigeria have changed their methods, saying that "Islamic extremism has changed over time." He said the groups now operate clandestinely and attack indiscriminately, without regard to what their victims believe. "Their attacks make no distinction based on faith: they kill people on farms, in churches, in mosques, at home, everywhere," Kukah said. He said corruption and government ineffectiveness make the violence harder to contain.

Nigeria is the deadliest place in the world for Christians, with about 3,490 victims a year, or 70 percent of the global total of Christians killed for their faith. Kukah said the country faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

Global persecution figures

Open Doors' 2026 World Report on the Persecution of Christians puts the number of Christians exposed to persecution at 388 million, an increase of 8 million over the previous year. That means one in seven Christians worldwide suffers persecution. The causes include the spread of Islamic extremism, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, and regimes that see Christians as a foreign body or an ideological enemy.

Crisis in the Middle East and Lebanon

The situation of Christians in the Middle East is critical. The conflict between Israel and Iran has spilled over into Lebanon, where bombing has caused more than 2,000 deaths and displaced more than a million people since March. Christians, who have no link to Hezbollah, have also been among the victims. Still, faith persists in Christian communities in southern Lebanon, where daily Masses are celebrated and the rosary is prayed as a form of spiritual resistance.

Multiple threats to religious freedom

Avveduto said that "we live in a time in which faith is again perceived as a problem rather than a resource." He said authoritarian regimes and totalitarian ideologies see believers as people who obey an authority higher than the state, while extremist movements that use religion to justify violence are on the rise. He also pointed to the fragility of many states, where religious freedom is the first thing threatened when institutions collapse.

Christian communities in Sudan, torn by civil war, also face an alarming situation, and need specific support for local churches and projects that allow them to stay on their land.

Interreligious dialogue

In response to these challenges, Italy has promoted a pact among religions called "The Italian Way of Interreligious Dialogue," signed on June 25 by leaders of 15 religious confessions: the Catholic Church and Muslim, Jewish, Orthodox, Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu and Baha'i communities. The document sets out specific commitments to educate communities in dialogue and to promote a culture of peace.

The Church defends religious freedom as a right that flows from the dignity of the person created in the image of God, in line with Dignitatis Humanae, the declaration of the Second Vatican Council. On that basis it argues for the religious freedom of all: Christians persecuted in Nigeria, Muslims facing discrimination, Jews under threat and Yazidis who have been massacred. Respect for that right, it says, benefits society as a whole and also protects those who do not believe.