Holy See: Christians are most persecuted religious community in world

Nations bear the responsibility to protect, respect, and guarantee freedom of religion, said Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, at the event “Standing with Persecuted Christians: Defending the Faith and Christian Values” on March 3.

“Almost 400 million Christians worldwide face persecution or violence, making them the most persecuted religious community in the world. This means that one in seven Christians is affected,” Archbishop Balestrero said.

“Even worse, almost 5,000 Christians were killed for their faith in 2025, which equates to an average of 13 per day," he said.

The Archbishop explained that for Christians, those who are killed for their faith are “martyrs,” so “’witnesses’ to their creed who embody values that challenge the logic of power,” while from the perspective of international law, “they are victims of outrageous human rights violations.”

“Their testimony must not distract from the fundamental responsibility of States which should have protected them,” the Permanent Observer highlighted.

“It is the State’s duty to protect freedom of religion or belief, which includes preventing third parties from violating this right,” he insisted. “This protection has to safeguard believers who are targeted, before, during, and after an attack. However, impunity remains one of the most serious issues in the global landscape of religious persecution.”

“A State should promote freedom of religion or belief, first and above all because it is a fundamental human right,” he underlined.

Archbishop Balestrero also noted that nations themselves must “respect freedom of religion or belief and refrain from interfering with an individual's or group’s ability to profess their faith privately or publicly through worship, practice, and teaching.”