(Aid to the Church in Need) — The number of priests and religious kidnapped increased in 2024, while the number arrested for reasons of persecution diminished. In total, ACN registered 122 cases impacting priests and religious, including 13 murders, 38 kidnappings, and 71 held under arrest. Ten of these incidents involved women, eight of whom were kidnapped and two arrested.
More Catholic priests and religious were kidnapped in 2024 than in 2023, according to data collected by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Whereas in the previous year, the number of those kidnapped was 33, in 2024, 38 members of the clergy and male and female religious were abducted by criminals.
ACN includes in its lists those who were killed, kidnapped, or detained for persecution-related reasons, but also those serving in difficult or dangerous locations as a testimony of their commitment to God.
Read more at Aid to the Church in Need…
