U.S. Bishops Mark Religious Freedom Day: "Persecution Fuels Conflict"
Washington, D.C. — On October 27, 2025, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) marked International Religious Freedom Day with a joint statement from Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the USCCB's Committee on International Justice and Peace, and Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, chairman of the USCCB's Committee for Religious Liberty. The day commemorates the signing of the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998.
In their statement, the bishops declared: "Across the world, millions of people are denied the basic right to religious freedom, a denial that fuels violent conflict and hinders human development. In recent years, for example, thousands of Christians and Muslims in Nigeria have been kidnapped and killed by Islamist extremists, while the government has imprisoned members of both religious groups for blasphemy. In many other countries as well, people of faith are under consistent assault, while their governments engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom."
The bishops emphasized: "We have seen that repression and persecution of religion is ultimately detrimental to the peaceful development of all nations. Religious freedom fosters peace." They quoted Pope Leo XIV, who recently stated "that a culture of peace requires full respect for religious freedom in every country, since religious experience is an essential dimension of the human person."
The statement concluded:
"At a time when war is seemingly non-ending, the evil of political violence persists, and political discourse is shaped by intense polarization and division, we, as followers of Jesus Christ, must not lose hope. On this International Religious Freedom Day, let us try to see Christ in each other. We must stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are suffering, and resolve to do our part to promote religious freedom for all people around the world."
According to Open Doors' 2025 World Watch List released in January 2025, more than 380 million Christians live in nations with high levels of persecution or discrimination, representing 1 in 7 Christians worldwide. The report documented 4,476 Christians killed for faith-related reasons from October 2023 to September 2024, with 3,100 of those deaths occurring in Nigeria.
North Korea topped the persecution list for the 23rd consecutive year, followed by Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Eritrea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. The report counted 209,771 Christians displaced because of their faith and 54,780 Christians physically or mentally abused, with 10,000 of the abuse cases occurring in Pakistan.
In Nigeria, ranked seventh on the list with over 106 million Christians, the country remains "among the most urgently dangerous places for Christians on earth," primarily due to violent attacks by Islamic Fulani militias in northern states. According to the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, 30,880 civilians were killed in Nigeria from 2020 to 2023, including 22,360 Christians and 8,315 Muslims.
India ranked 11th due to increasing Hindu nationalism and laws that discriminate against Christians. Violence in India's northeastern state of Manipur has caused tens of thousands of Christians to flee their homes. The report documented 1,629 Christians detained without trial in India during the reporting period.
In Sudan's civil war, 44 Christians were killed, 100 Christians were sexually assaulted, and 100 Christian homes and businesses were attacked during the reporting period. The conflict has displaced more than 11 million out of Sudan's 49 million people, with Islamic extremists destroying over a hundred churches.
According to International Christian Concern, four of the five most populous countries in the world, China (1.41 billion), India (1.46 billion), Indonesia (285 million), and Pakistan (255 million), routinely strip Christians of fundamental human rights like worshipping freely and sharing their faith.
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
Let's cut through the diplomatic language: Christians aren't the ones causing religious persecution. We're the ones bleeding because of it.
The bishops talk about "people of faith under assault" as if this is some mutual problem affecting everyone equally. It's not. Christians are being systematically slaughtered by Islamic extremists in Nigeria, Pakistan, and across the Sahel. We're being imprisoned and tortured by Hindu nationalists in India. We're being hunted by communist regimes in China and North Korea. We're fleeing for our lives from atheist governments and religious supremacists worldwide.
The numbers tell the real story: 4,476 Christians murdered in one year. 3,100 of them in Nigeria alone, killed by Islamic jihadists. Another 10,000 physically or mentally abused in Pakistan. Churches bombed. Families burned alive. Children kidnapped. Women raped. And these are just the documented cases.
When Islamic militants massacre Christians in Nigeria, where's the global outcry? When Hindu mobs burn churches in India and beat pastors in the streets, where are the sanctions? When communist China imprisons house church pastors, where's the international condemnation? The silence is deafening because Christians are the acceptable targets of the 21st century.
The bishops say religious persecution "fuels conflict." No. Islamic extremism, Hindu nationalism, communist totalitarianism, and militant atheism fuel conflict. Christians are the victims, not the perpetrators. We don't form terror groups. We don't burn mosques or temples. We don't pass laws forbidding other religions. We preach the Gospel, build hospitals, feed the hungry, and get massacred for it.
Four of the five most populous nations on earth systematically persecute Christians. That's 3.4 billion people, 41% of the world's population, living under regimes that treat Christianity as a threat. Meanwhile, Western Christians sip lattes and debate pronouns while our brothers and sisters are being butchered.
Wake up, Church. This isn't about "religious freedom for all." This is about Christians under siege worldwide, and we need to say it plainly. Our enemies aren't hiding their intentions. Why are we hiding the truth?
TAKE ACTION
Support Persecuted Christians Directly:
- Open Doors USA - Direct aid to Christians in the world's most dangerous places
Website: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/donate
Phone: 1-888-524-2535 - International Christian Concern - Advocacy and relief for persecuted believers
Website: https://www.persecution.org/donate
Email: icc@persecution.org
Phone: 1-800-422-5441 - Voice of the Martyrs - Supporting Christian martyrs' families and imprisoned believers
Website: https://www.persecution.com/give
Phone: 1-918-337-8015 - Release International - Practical support for Christians facing oppression
Website: https://releaseinternational.org/donate
Email: info@releaseinternational.org
