The extent of anti-religious persecution laid bare

 

The latest Religious Freedom in the World Report from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reveals that almost two-thirds of humanity, about 5.4 billion people, live in places where serious violations of religious freedom religious, up to and including martyrdom in all too many cases, occur. The most widely persecuted group is Christians.

The Irish launch of the report took place in Dublin yesterday at the offices of the European Parliament. This year marks the 25th edition of the global survey which covers almost 200 countries.

ACN identifies 62 countries where religious believers face either persecution (24) or discrimination (38), ranging from systematic violence and imprisonment to subtler forms of repression and social exclusion. These violations are not confined to any one region or religion; rather, they reveal a global erosion of freedom of belief and practice.

The ACN report names authoritarianism as the greatest threat to religious freedom worldwide. Repressive regimes, both communist and extreme nationalist, are tightening their grip through mass surveillance, censorship, and legal restrictions on faith groups. In places such as China, North Korea, and Eritrea, religion is treated as a potential rival to state ideology, leading to harsh control or persecution.

ACN analysts warn that governments are increasingly using digital technology to monitor and suppress believers. The result is a growing atmosphere of fear that stifles social trust and undermines civil society itself.

The report also focuses on the Cuban model of controlling religion, marked by state supervision rather than outright prohibition. This has become a template increasingly replicated in parts of Latin America, notably in Venezuela and Nicaragua. In Cuba, religious practice is formally permitted, yet every aspect of faith life is closely regulated through registration, surveillance, and administrative controls.

Churches must obtain official approval for gatherings, building work, or charitable activities, and those who criticise the government risk harassment or travel restrictions. The ACN 2025 report notes that Venezuela and Nicaragua have adopted similar authoritarian tactics, using bureaucratic pressure, propaganda, and intimidation to silence religious leaders who denounce corruption or human rights abuses. In Nicaragua, for instance, clergy have faced imprisonment and the expulsion of religious orders, while in Venezuela, Church voices calling for justice are routinely vilified in state media.

Another major trend highlighted in the ACN document is the escalation and evolution of jihadist violence. The report describes a “network of networks” of Islamist extremist groups spreading across Africa’s Sahel region, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, while maintaining a deadly presence in Asia, particularly Pakistan and the Philippines. These groups exploit weak governance and poverty to recruit followers and sow instability, often targeting Christian and Muslim communities alike.

ACN warns that religiously motivated terrorism has become more mobile, fragmented, and unpredictable. The human cost is immense: mass displacement, destruction of places of worship, and the silencing of faith leaders who advocate peace.

Despite these grave realities, the report ends on a note of hope. Regina Lynch, ACN’s Executive President, emphasises the resilience of religious communities who continue to promote reconciliation, education, and social cohesion in the face of oppression. She calls on governments and citizens to “defend the right to believe, or not to believe, for every person, everywhere.”