Despite the government’s attempts to control all religious expression and worship, the report says that Christianity in China, experienced primarily in underground religious communities, is “growing rapidly.”
Under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, sanctions against those who live out their Christian faith have continued to increase. Amid the persecution, the report says there are now 70 to 100 million “underground Christians” who have refused to follow the CCP’s mandate to “worship the state”, choosing instead to risk their lives by following the Christ.
Nigeria
According to ICC, Nigeria is “arguably the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian today.”
Although Nigeria is almost 50 percent Christian, the country’s approximately 100 million Christians live under constant threat of torture, kidnapping and execution.
Extremely violent acts of persecution are commonplace for Nigerian Christians, according to the report. The difficulties facing Christians in the country are due to a combination of extremist groups and government targeting.
Radical Islamist groups such as Boko Haram, the Islamic State in West Africa, an offshoot of ISIS, and Fulani herdsmen continue to prey on the country’s large Christian population, despite promises from the government and claims that religious targeting has been resolved in the country.
The persecution has continued for decades now, with no signs of improvement in 2023. ICC President Jeff King said in the report that the government’s inaction on the persecution of Christians amounted to “aiding and abetting » the “genocide” of Christians in the country.
Although King said the violence “will only get worse unless the international community intervenes,” the report also said Christianity in Nigeria continues to grow in regional pockets.
CNA reported earlier this year that despite escalating persecution, Nigeria is by far the the largest mass attendance in the world.
Ninety-four percent of Catholics in Nigeria say they attend Mass at least once a week, according to a study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.
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Mgr Wilfred Anagbe, Bishop of the Diocese of Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria told CNA in June that “the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christianity”.
“Persecution is an integral part of being a Catholic,” Anagbe said. “But that doesn’t stop people’s faith.”
“We constantly continue to pray,” Anagbe said. “God will surely hear our prayers. This is why the Mass is so important and why we pray. We must trust God in the midst of this crisis.
“The resilience of the body of Christ”
The ICC has also highlighted the plight of Christians facing persecution in North Korea, India, Pakistan, Eritrea, Algeria, Indonesia and Azerbaijan, as well as some of the major persecuting groups and individuals such as the Taliban. , Jinping and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
Although the goal of ICC’s annual report is to draw attention to the suffering of Christians around the world, King said it also “unveils the resilience of the body of Christ.”
