Christians 'most persecuted religious community in the world,' Vatican tells UN

(OSV News) -- The Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations in Geneva called on governments and international organizations to strengthen religious freedom protections for persecuted Christians.

Addressing participants at a March 3 event, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Holy See's U.N. permanent observer in Geneva, said that nearly 400 million Christians around the world "face persecution or violence, making them the most persecuted religious community in the world."

"This means that one in seven Christians is affected. Even worse, almost 5,000 Christians were killed for their faith in 2025, which equates to an average of 13 per day," he said.

According to a March 5 press release by the Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians, or OIDAC, the meeting, titled "Standing with Persecuted Christians – Defending the Faith and Christian Values," was the first time "that a state-sponsored side event at the Human Rights Council specifically addressed persecution and discrimination against Christians."

"The event, held during the 61st session of the Council, brought together diplomats, experts and civil society representatives to raise awareness about global Christian persecution and religious freedom challenges in Western countries," the OIDAC said.

The Vatican diplomat was among several panelists who addressed the event, including Anja Tang, director of OIDAC; Nazila Ghanea, U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief; Marie-Thérèse Pictet-Althann, ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta; and Márk Aurél Érszegi, special adviser for religion and diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary.

Archbishop Balestrero's address echoed similar warnings by Open Doors International, a global advocacy organization for persecuted Christians, in its "World Watch List 2026" published in January.

The report, which measures the severity of Christian persecution in some 50 countries, stated that an estimated 388 million Christians worldwide experienced "high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith."

Citing Pope Leo XIV's address in January to diplomats accredited to the Holy See, Archbishop Balestrero said the worrying figures showed that "religious freedom is considered in many contexts more as a 'privilege' or concession rather than a fundamental human right."

"For Christians, those who were killed for their faith are 'martyrs' in the etymological sense of the word: 'witnesses' to their creed who embody values that challenge the logic of power," he said. "While from the perspective of international law, they are victims of outrageous human rights violations."

Governments, he continued, have a "fundamental responsibility" to protect religious freedom and that authorities must prevent violations and protect believers before, during, and after attacks.

However, the Vatican diplomat lamented that among the most serious issues surrounding religious persecution is the lack of accountability for those who commit violence against or persecute Christians.

"Impunity remains one of the most serious issues in the global landscape of religious persecution," he said. "A state should promote freedom of religion or belief, first and above all because it is a fundamental human right."

The archbishop also highlighted data from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, or OSCE, which reported that in 2024, an estimated 764 anti-Christian hate crimes, including assaults, vandalism and arson attacks against churches were recorded in Europe.

However, he also warned that persecution is not always violent or easily measured. Christians, he explained, can face "a kind of 'polite persecution'" that includes a "gradual marginalization and exclusion from political, social and professional life, even in traditionally Christian lands."

He also warned that Christians in Europe have faced persecution for praying near abortion facilities, citing the Bible on social issues or expressing religious beliefs in regard to sexual ethics.

Archbishop Balestrero also warned that, if passed, a proposed euthanasia bill currently being discussed in France would force Christian hospitals and care homes to either provide such services or face fines, prison sentences and lose public funding.

"This threat could become a reality in a number of countries seeking to legalize euthanasia," he said.

"These are not superficial acts. They are serious violations of the rights of Christians, perpetrated by the very authorities who are charged with the duty of respecting, protecting and promoting the human rights of all. This contradiction must end," the archbishop said.