By the beginning of 2011, Christianity has been described as the world's most persecuted religion. Yet despite the growing problems faced by many Christians, media coverage of their plight remains scarce.

Describing the situation in 33 countries, Persecuted and Forgotten? Shows how in some places Christians are denied their basic rights. This includes places in the Middle East where Pope Benedict XVI has said that churches are "threatened in their very existence".

Drawing on the latest Christian persecution reports available and first-hand testimony, Persecuted and Forgotten? describes the struggles faced by Christian communities who are prevented from practicing their faith and living normal lives. It is for these people that Catholic charities like Aid to the Church in Need exist.

Religious liberty as a fundamental human right is being neglected by world public opinion, above all by politicians and the media. And yet religious liberty is one of the most vital preconditions for democracy.

You will find no better summary about your fellow Christian brothers and sisters in Christ who are persecuted for their faith. Please pray for them.

* Please note that some of the reports make for unavoidably distressing reading and hence the book may be judged inappropriate for very young children and other vulnerable people.

Religious Freedom in the World - Report 2010

The massacre of Syrian Catholic Christians in Baghdad on October 31 2010, sharply recalled a reality that is sadly growing all over the world: religious freedom is more and more under threat. While terrorists blasted through the group of faithful gathered for Mass, witnesses of the attack reported a child, three years of age, crying out: "Enough, enough!" He was shot at point blank range by the assailants, just as were 44 other people and two priests.

This child's cry demands that attention is given to all those who, every day, all over the world, are persecuted because of their religious beliefs. The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has released its 2010 detailed report on the attacks on religious freedom encountered by various religious minorities throughout the world.

Since the last report was released in 2008 the overall picture indicates that the situation has deteriorated further. In addition to the existing forms of persecution, there is also a growing intolerance towards Christianity, especially in countries of the so-called "first world", where the term "Christianophobia" has now come into use in the media.

In a majority of the 194 countries covered in the report there are restrictions on religious freedom in some way. Countries with severe restrictions and/or many episodes of social or legal intolerance related to religion are: Bangladesh, China, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Laos, Maldives, Burma, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen.

While the Report concerns all suffering or oppressed religious minorities there is no doubt that all the reports on the subject, including those provided by international organisations, show that the Christians are the group most exposed to persecution. According to the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) (source: Agenzia Fides 30/09/2010), at least 75% of religious persecution is directed at people of the Christian faith.

Please click here to read a summary of the report. The full report is only available on CD-Rom. Produced in six languages, the CD-Rom can be obtained via our On Line store for a donation of $5.00.

Christians in Egypt between hope and fear

For both Christian and Muslim youth the Arab Spring fostered hopes for greater democracy and respect for human rights. Recently, however, increasing sectarian violence and a rise in fundamentalist voices calling to establish Egypt as an Islamic state are dimming these hopes and isolating Christians. This new political shift combined with Islamist militant violence, opens a dark new chapter on Egypt's post revolution future.

Should Egypt become a full-fledged religious state governed by Shar'ia law, Egyptian Christians would confront a stark choice: submission to ever-greater religious persecution or emigration. The question facing the world's political leaders, however, is another: with Egyptian Christians numbering eight million, the risk of aggression begetting aggression could engender a spiral of sectarian violence destabilizing Egypt and the whole of the Middle East.

For Christians in the Middle East, the prophecy of Jesus Christ is lived out every day: 'If anyone wants to follow me, let him take up his Cross'. And this Cross is heavy, because it touches not only the individuals, but entire families.”

Please click here to view the short film. (Please note that some viewers may find scenes in this film clip disturbing)

The Situation of the Church in the Holy Land

World religious leaders have called on Churches in the West to help Christians in the Holy Land who are threatened by religious intolerance and deepening poverty. Emigration is such a serious problem that if it continues at current levels Christians will all but disappear. According to some senior clergy, Christians now make up more than 20% of emigrants. It is an alarming statistic given that Christians number about 160,000. In 2008, the year that the state of Israel celebrated its 60th anniversary, reports showed that in the years following the foundation of the state, Christians in Bethlehem declined from 85% to 12% of the population. In Jerusalem, the situation is just as serious. There, Christians have fallen from 20% to just 1.1%. Abandoning the Holy Land is for many a very painful decision. They know that the more people leave, the worse it becomes for those left behind.

What would Christmas Day at the birth place of Christ be like if the faithful were no longer there to gather, worship and celebrate? The 'living stones' - the faithful themselves - who walk the lands Christ knew so well, are in need of help, otherwise Christianity runs the risk of losing this first-hand witness and the Holy Places simply become museums for tourists to visit. To view the video please click here.

The video also features the support the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need is providing beleaguered Christian families in Bethlehem by the distribution of olive wood rosaries and other handmade carvings to Christians in the Western world. To see the range of handmade olive wood devotional items please click here.

Sri Lanka: Help for 83 Tamil-speaking seminarians in the north of Sri Lanka

Some of the 83 seminarians studying at St. Francis Xavier´s Seminary in Jaffna

 Northern Sri Lanka has been through some difficult years of late. As recently as the spring of 2009 bitter fighting was still going on here, as the mainly Sinhalese government forces stormed the last strongholds of the Tamil Tigers (or Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam”, LTTE), who had been fighting for a separatist state. In the course of the military offensive there were also numerous casualties among the civilian population, who were caught up in the fighting. The International Committee of the Red Cross spoke at the time of an "unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe". In 2009 alone an estimated 30,000 people were killed, to say nothing of the thousands of wounded and traumatised victims. To this day in fact there are no reliable figures. However, it is believed that the civil war, which began in 1983, must have claimed at least 100,000 lives.
 One building that has fortunately survived the bloody conflict is the seminary in the diocese of Jaffna, in the north of the country. This is situated in Columbuthurai, one of the districts in the city of Jaffna, and it bears the name of Saint Francis Xavier. Opened in 1980, initially only for philosophy students, in October 1983 it became a fully-fledged seminary. One of the reasons for this was the fact that the growing tensions within the country meant that students could no longer safely travel. Since 1995 the seminary has been attached to the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. The number of seminarians grew steadily, but their studies had to be interrupted again and again in the years that followed, because of the armed conflict.
 Now, after the final decisive combat, students are once more travelling from other dioceses to the Saint Francis Xavier Seminary in Columbuthurai, among them even a few Sinhalese. The rector, Father Savundranayagam, has appealed to the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) for help to cover the running costs. It costs $90 per month to fund each student. So as to ensure that the training of the 83 seminarians can be guaranteed for the year ahead, ACN has promised a subsidy of $15,400 for the academic year 2011/12
  The vital work of Catholic charities like Aid to the Church In Need provide a lifeline to the Church wherever she is poor, persecuted or threatened. Please help our work by donating online or send your donation to Aid to the Church in Need, PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148. Ph: (02) 9679-1929

Click here for past weeks' featured projects

Reports for you to read about the work of Aid to the Church in Need

ACN is unique from other Catholic Charities as it offers pastoral assistance to the Church wherever she is poor or suffering under Christian persecution.