Holy See to UN: Christians are the most persecuted community in the world

Speaking at a conference in Geneva on March 3, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations since 2023, decried the fact that Christians are the most persecuted community in the world.

His address was titled “Standing with Persecuted Christians: Defending the Faith and Christian Values.”

Balestrero, who is also the Holy See’s representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), stated that during 2025 “almost 5,000 faithful were killed for their faith,” the equivalent of 13 people a day.

“Almost 400 million Christians worldwide face persecution or violence, making them the most persecuted religious community in the world,” the prelate told Vatican News.

Balestrero stated that the victims “are martyrs in the etymological sense of the term,” because they are witnesses “to their creed who embody values that challenge the logic of power.”

From the perspective of international law, the Italian prelate emphasized that Christians are also victims of “outrageous human rights violations” and insisted that their witness should not distract from the responsibility of states, whose duty it is to provide protection.

“It is the state’s duty to protect freedom of religion or belief, which includes preventing third parties from violating this right. This protection has to safeguard believers who are targeted, before, during, and after an attack,” he stated.

The problem of impunity

Balestrero drew attention to the issue of impunity for those who take the lives of Christians, which he referred to as “one of the most serious issues in the global landscape of religious persecution.”

After expressing his concern for the millions of persecuted Christians, he noted that this “scourge” to which they are subjected “affects countries across the world” and continents, including Europe. In this context, he cited the recent report on hate crimes by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, which recorded more than 760 hate crimes against Christians in Europe in 2024 alone.

Beyond the crimes, the Holy See’s representative in Geneva denounced other forms of persecution that are “more subtle and often silent forms of persecution,” such as gradual marginalization or exclusion from social and professional life “even in traditionally Christian lands.”

He also specified that this persecution takes the form of more discreet restrictions and limitations, “through which legal norms and administrative practices restrict or, in fact, nullify the legally recognized rights of the predominantly Christian population, even in some parts of Europe.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.