For the eighth consecutive year, the highest number of murders is recorded in America, where 11 pastoral workers were killed (8 priests, 1 religious, 2 lay people); Africa follows, with 10 pastoral workers (4 priests, 1 religious, 5 lay people); in Asia 2 pastoral workers were killed (1 priest, 1 lay person). From 2000 to 2016, 424 pastoral workers were killed in the world, including 5 bishops.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - In 2017, 23 missionaries were killed: 13 priests, 1 male religious, 1 female religious, 8 lay people. The figure emerges from the annual report elaborated by Fides, an agency of the Vatican ministry for the missions.
The report shows that for the eighth consecutive year, the highest number of murders is recorded in America, where 11 pastoral workers were killed (8 priests, 1 religious, 2 lay people); Africa follows, with 10 pastoral workers (4 priests, 1 religious, 5 lay people); in Asia 2 pastoral workers were killed (1 priest, 1 lay person). From 2000 to 2016, 424 pastoral workers were killed in the world, including 5 bishops.
The annual Fides list does not only concern ad gentes in the strict sense, but tries to register all the pastoral workers who died in a violent way, not expressively "in hatred of the faith". Many were killed during attempts at robbery or theft, also carried out with ferocity, in contexts of economic and cultural poverty, of moral and environmental degradation, where violence and abuse have become almost the norm.
The slain are only the tip of the iceberg, of a list of pastoral workers, or simple Catholics, assaulted, beaten, robbed, threatened, as well as that of Catholic structures serving the entire population, assaulted, vandalized or looted. Then there is the list of the unknown many, who worldwide suffer and pay with their life their faith in Jesus Christ.