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.<\/p>\n
His address was titled \u201cStanding with Persecuted Christians: Defending the Faith and Christian Values.\u201d<\/p>\n
Balestrero, who is also the Holy See\u2019s representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), stated that during 2025 \u201calmost 5,000 faithful were killed for their faith,\u201d the equivalent of 13 people a day.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost 400 million Christians worldwide face persecution or violence, making them the most persecuted religious community in the world,\u201d the prelate told \u0623\u062e\u0628\u0627\u0631 \u0627\u0644\u0641\u0627\u062a\u064a\u0643\u0627\u0646<\/a>.<\/p>\n Balestrero stated that the victims \u201care martyrs in the etymological sense of the term,\u201d because they are witnesses \u201cto their creed who embody values that challenge the logic of power.\u201d<\/p>\n From the perspective of international law, the Italian prelate emphasized that Christians are also victims of \u201coutrageous human rights violations\u201d and insisted that their witness should not distract from the responsibility of states, whose duty it is to provide protection.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is the state\u2019s 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,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n Balestrero drew attention to the issue of impunity for those who take the lives of Christians, which he referred to as \u201cone of the most serious issues in the global landscape of religious persecution.\u201d<\/p>\n After expressing his concern for the millions of persecuted Christians, he noted that this \u201cscourge\u201d to which they are subjected \u201caffects countries across the world\u201d and continents, including Europe. In this context, he cited the recent report on hate crimes by the OSCE<\/a> Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, which recorded more than 760 hate crimes against Christians in Europe in 2024 alone.<\/p>\n Beyond the crimes, the Holy See\u2019s representative in Geneva denounced other forms of persecution that are \u201cmore subtle and often silent forms of persecution,\u201d such as gradual marginalization or exclusion from social and professional life \u201ceven in traditionally Christian lands.\u201d<\/p>\n He also specified that this persecution takes the form of more discreet restrictions and limitations, \u201cthrough 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.\u201d<\/p>\nThe problem of impunity<\/h2>\n