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 2012

The report, published every two years, examines the degree of religious freedom in 196 countries worldwide and covers the year 2011 and the major events of the year 2012. Country by country, the study not only covers the Christian faith but all religious minorities suffering persecution or oppression. As a Catholic charity we believe that religious liberty should apply equally to all religious groups who wish to practise their faith without fear or discrimination.

Overall the report finds that the threats to religious freedom are not diminishing. Even if some improvements seem to have emerged at a legislative level, in reality there have been no significant improvements. Countries that once enjoyed relative calm, such as Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Syria, are now cause for serious concern. Furthermore, the pressure of Islamic extremism on African countries such as Kenya, Mali, Nigeria and Chad, has increased and threatens to destabilize an entire and important area of Africa.

In Pakistan, the anti-blasphemy laws and the hostility towards Christianity within society continue to cause grave damage, both to the legal process and in terms of outright violence (notably, the murder of the Governor of the Punjab, Salman Taseer and that of Shahbaz Bhatti, the Federal Minister for Minorities and a Catholic). In neighbouring India, so-called 'anti-conversion laws' and the abuses of power that derive from them, now appear to be spreading at a local level in a number of states despite the fact that the national Constitution acknowledges the right to religious freedom.

While the Report concerns all suffering or oppressed religious minorities there is no doubt that Christians are the group most exposed to persecution. This finding is also confirmed by other reports on the subject, including those provided by international organisations. Although the number of Christians of different confessions in difficulty because of legal or cultural structures around the world is not known for sure, last year Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States, estimated these to be more than 200 million.

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 $4.00.

Magadan: Stalin's artic death camps (60 years since Stalin's death)

Magadan, is a harbour town of 120,000 lying on the sea of Okhotsk in the far east of Siberia, some 1,500 km from the nearest city. Backed by the mineral rich Kolyma mountain range, it is today the largest deep-water port in North Eastern Russia, exporting gold, silver, tin and oil. Magadan's rough beauty, however betrays a dark history. The city was the administrative centre of Stalin's Kolyma artic death camps, the Gulags; a vast system of work camps and prisons in Siberia through which millions were imprisoned and perished from exposure, starvation and execution, between 1932 and 1954. An estimated 2 million people died.

Magadan was city based on the prison camps. Its very existence was a holding camp for the Kolyma region. Many of the inhabitants came from the Baltic countries - Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and many from Poland. When Stalin came to power he wanted to diminished the influence of the West. Part of this strategy was to concentrate on the Baltic countries some of which were very strong Catholic countries. Quotas of young men and women were arrested on trumped up charges and removed from these countries to work in the prison camps of Magadan.

The video features Fr. Michael Shields (pictured), an American missionary priest, who ministers to the last of the Gulag survivors left in Magadan. (March 5th 2013 was the 60th anniversary of Stalin's death).

Please click here to view the short film. For more video clips please go to our Video page.

Mexico: Help for the training of eight novices of the Capuchin Poor Clares

The eight novices of the Capuchin Poor Clares in Mexico

  Assisi, in the year 1212. A young and beautiful noblewoman secretly slips out of the house of her wealthy parents. She leaves behind her all the safety, comfort, wealth and security in order to devote her life in poverty, chastity and obedience to her bridegroom, Jesus Christ. She is inflamed with the ideals of her spiritual mentor, guide and brother in the Lord, Saint Francis of Assisi. Chiara Offreduccio di Favarone - for that is her name - leaves her horrified family facing a fait accompli. She has her hair cut short and in this way finally manages to convince her family that she has irrevocably chosen this life of radical imitation of Christ. Although it was not unusual for a young woman to enter a convent at this time, a young woman from a noble family would have been expected to enter a religious community and live a life in accordance with her station. To choose a life of utter poverty was something new and unheard-of. Very soon other young women joined her, and later of course she became famous throughout the world as Saint Clare of Assisi, the foundress of the Poor Clares. The order she founded was unusual in that not only did the individual sisters have to renounce all worldly goods, but even the community itself was to remain poor and have no possessions.
  Throughout the world today there are sisters who follow the ideals of Saint Clare. Above all they devote themselves to the perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. In Mexico the Capuchin Poor Clares are the contemplative women's order with the most vocations. Young, joyful, smiling faces beneath their veils, while many of their convents are simply bursting at the seams - despite the fact that Mexico is a country with a strongly secular tradition in which politicians have sought again and again to undercut the influence of the Church and where today, despite the high number of Catholic faithful, Christian values are increasingly being squeezed out of society. In the face of such a situation, the prayers of the contemplative religious are more than ever necessary today.
  But the formation of the young sisters costs money, and for the contemplative communities in particular it is very difficult to support themselves. But thanks to the generosity of its benefactors, the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) during last year was able to help for the training of eight young novices.
  Sister Rosalina Aguilar Gonzalez wrote to the charity saying:  "I would like to thank you most sincerely for the donation you have given us. May God reward such great kindness and generosity!" At the same time the sisters assure ACN of their prayers: "We will not forget the needs of our benefactors, and we continue to pray for their intentions!"
  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 7246 Baulkham Hills NSW 2153. Ph: (02) 9679-1929

Click here for past weeks' featured projects

Catholic News: 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 and Catholic news to the Church wherever she is poor or suffering under Christian persecution.