ROME — The global persecution of Christians rose sharply in 2023, according to the 2024 World Watch List (WWL) published Wednesday by Open Doors Christian charity.
More than 365 million Christians worldwide suffer “high levels” of persecution and discrimination for their faith, WWL reveals, which means that one in seven Christians are persecuted because of their faith.
During 2023, 4,998 Christians were killed in connection with practicing their faith, counting only the number of reported cases, WWL found.
Attacks on the homes of Christians nearly quadrupled (+371 percent) from 2022 to 2023, rising from 4,547 to 21,431, and the number of attacks on churches, Christian schools, and hospitals jumped sevenfold, from 2,110 in 2022 to 14,766 in 2023.
Moreover, 42,849 Christians suffered physical violence or death threats in the course of the year, and 278,716 Christians were driven from their homes or forced to go underground. This represents more than double the figure from 2022 (124,310).
Topping the World Watch List, which ranks the 50 most dangerous countries for Christians, is once again North Korea, which also occupied the number one spot in the 2023 WWL findings.
North Korea is an officially atheist country run by a brutal communist regime that is particularly hostile to Christians. As WWL notes, being discovered to be a Christian in North Korea “is effectively a death sentence.”
Read more at: breitbart.com