He says that the number of those killed could be much higher “as martyrdom cannot be fully counted, especially in remote areas”.
In Nigeria, for instance, where Christian persecution is said to be top in the world, over 7,000 people were killed in the first seven months of this year for being Christian.
Jihadist groups killed 7,087 Christians in various parts of Nigeria, a report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) revealed in August. Intersociety estimates that an average of 30 Christians were killed each single day in Nigeria.
According to the report that was released on August 10, an additional 7,800 people in the West African country were “violently seized and abducted” for being Christians in the same period.
Christians are killed in many other African countries because of their faith, including in places that hardly experienced religious extremism. These include Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Central Africa and Burkina Faso in West Africa.
Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV has invited representatives from all Christian denominations to take part in a celebration in the Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Wall this Sunday, September 14, to pay tribute to these “witnesses of the Faith” highlighted by the Vatican the “Commission of New Martyrs – Witnesses of the Faith”.
The commission that comprises historians, theologians and other experts has been working since July 2023, when Pope Francis asked the members to “gather the testimonies of life, up to the shedding of blood, of these sisters and brothers of ours, so that their memory can stand as a treasure cherished by the Christian community”.
The late Pope stressed that this research should not be limited to the Catholic Church, but “extend to all Christian denominations”, adding, “To all of them we owe a great debt, and we cannot forget them”.
According to the ACN report, the commission has opted not to publish a full list of names “until it is prudent to do so”.
Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya’s Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.