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.

Syria: The Civil War and the Christian Minority

Working with bishops and other Christian leaders, the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has given ongoing support since the crisis in Syria broke two years ago. The pledge of further assistance comes after a team from the charity flew out to Lebanon at short notice. Having just returned, ACN Middle East projects coordinator Fr Andrew Halemba reported that: "The people are in despair. They feel they have no future. They have seen so many atrocities and, despite every effort to help, there is sometimes not enough to go round."

The team also met families from Zahle who had received ACN aid including cooking essentials and baby milk. Fr Halemba said: "The people we spoke to were extremely grateful. They were saying that our benefactors had helped save their lives."

The promising future that the so-called Arab Spring foretold has become rather a nightmare in Syria: an escalating conflict that has forced thousands of Syrians to leave their country. Christian families in particular face particular hardship in the refugees camps in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) presents in this short film the testimony of men and women longing to go back to their homeland in peace and harmony.

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

Sudan: On-going formation of priests from the dioceses of Khartum and El Obeid

Cardinal Zubeir Wako (Archbishop of Khartoum in Sudan) celebrating holy mass at St Paul’s seminary chapel in Khartoum © Aid to the Church in Need

  The priests in Sudan know all about suffering. It is not something they have merely read about in the paper or watched on the television, but something they have personally experienced during the bloody Way of the Cross the Church has undergone in Sudan. Many of the younger priests have scarcely known their country as anything other than a country at war throughout their lives, and many were able to train for the priesthood only in the most difficult of conditions. An entire generation has known little else but war, violence, expulsion and destitution. After almost 25 years of civil war, millions of dead and wounded, millions more refugees, and even after the referendum and the establishment of a new nation in the South, the wounds are still fresh in many hearts and the danger of new hostilities never far away.
  The priests are there for the ordinary faithful and support them in every possible respect - pastorally, materially, educationally. And they do all this even though they are far too few in number to be able to confront this ocean of need. In their own souls they too suffer the selfsame trauma as the rest of the Catholic faithful, and on top of this they feel helpless and empty-handed, since they have nothing to give but themselves. But still God has called them to be shepherds to his harassed flock.
  Moreover, since the secession of South Sudan, the government in Khartoum has pursued a still more aggressive policy of islamisation, with the continued introduction of the Islamic sharia law and its application to Christians as well as Muslims. It now applies to both public and private law and is also imposed in the field of education. The goal of fully islamising Sudanese society is now a major political issue. The breathing space for the Church is becoming ever more constricted.
  Small wonder then that many priests have reached the limit of their endurance and that some of them undergo a severe vocational crisis during these difficult times. The prefect of the Vatican's clergy congregation, Archbishop Mauro Piacenza has remarked colourfully that a priest needs "the heart muscles of a Rambo" in order to muster all the love and spiritual strength he needs to fulfil his vocation. How much more so in countries like this, where they are undergoing a daily Golgotha. The Archbishop of Khartoum, Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako writes: "Those of us who are responsible for these priests are deeply concerned for their spiritual welfare during this time of great changes, and we want to create an environment in which they can have time to read, to pray and to deepen their faith, so that they in turn can minister to their flocks."
  These priests need our support to protect them from the risk of psychological breakdown. The cardinal's aim is for the 68 priests of the Archdiocese of Khartoum and the 22 priests of the diocese of El Obeid to come together for a programme of ongoing formation and spiritual renewal. In this way they can be strengthened in their vocation and together share and tackle the challenges facing them, mutually comforting and supporting one another in word and deed. On four occasions, during this Year of Faith, the priests of the two dioceses will come together. And ACN will be supporting them with a contribution of 8,300 Euros for their travel costs and the overall running of the programme.
  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

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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.