The greatest persecution of Christians in history has been occurring during years 2015-2017.
This is what the 'Persecuted and Forgotten?' report by Aid to the Church in Need shows. It explains that in the last two years the situation has worsened dramatically, because the number of affected Christians has increased and they are the subject of the worst forms of persecution.
MARTA PETROSILLO
Aid to the Church in Need
'The persecution against Christians has never been so fierce as in all of history, it has never been as bad as now.'
In the Middle East, the annihilating paranoia of Daesh has caused the exodus of 75 percent of the largest Christian community in Syria. In Iraq, half the Christian population has had to flee.
MARTA PETROSILLO
Aid to the Church in Need
'The report cites a case symbol; the damage suffered by a man in Syria, Elijah. His name has been changed for security reasons, because his two sons are still in the hands of the Islamic State. Elijah was arrested because he could not pay the Islamic tax imposed by Daesh in Raqqa, Syria for economic reasons. Then they arrested him and tied his hands and feet to a cross for a month.'
In Nigeria, the persecution carried out by Boko Haram has lead to almost two million displaced persons, damage to 200 churches and 15,000 orphans.
In China, the clergy are subject to routine arrests by authorities, and authoritarian states, such as Eritrea and North Korea, experience a distressing situation. In Muslim-majority countries, such as Pakistan, Christians must live under the constant fear of being accused of blasphemy.
This report confirms that, as Pope Francis has said, today there are more martyrs than in the early days of Christianity
