Persecution of Christians

The Church in Nigeria, ravaged by kidnappings of clergy, is mourning Fr. Mathew Eya, killed Sept. 19 as he was returning to his parish of St. Charles in Eha-Ndiagu, in Enugu state.

The pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need expressed its "deep concern and solidarity" with the families of the victims of a brutal attack carried out on the night of Sept. 8-9 in Ntoyo in the area of St. Joseph of Manguredjipa Catholic Parish, which is in the Congolese province of North Kivu.

As of Sept. 5, Open Doors International’s “Arise Africa” petition has garnered a striking 225,000 signatures, almost a quarter way to its goal in a groundswell of support for oppressed Christians in sub-Saharan Africa.

Nicaragua's ruling Sandinista regime has seized a prominent Catholic school, claiming without proof that it had operated a "torture" centre during past protests and renaming the education facility for a slain partisan.

A quarter century has passed since Catholic author Robert Royal presented his book The Catholic Martyrs of the Twentieth Century: A Comprehensive Global History to Pope John Paul II during the Jubilee Year 2000.

An Augustinian priest in Colombia who disappeared in June has been released, his order confirmed in a July 27 statement.

At least 43 people, including children, were killed July 27 in a brutal overnight attack on a Catholic church in Komanda in eastern Congo.

A Nigerian priest kidnapped by Boko Haram in June has been released, OSV News has learned.

In Nigeria's Edo state, gunmen stormed Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in the Diocese of Auchi the night of July 10, killing a security officer and abducting three seminarians, according to Aid to the Church in Need.

A Nigerian priest who previously served in Alaska remains missing after being captured by Boko Haram operatives in his homeland, OSV News has learned.