Church and clerics attacked in CAR

In July 2014, a ceasefire was signed between the two main warring groups in the Central African Republic: a predominantly Muslim rebel coalition known as Séléka, and violent vigilante groups opposing their advance, which became known as the “anti-Balaka” (“Balaka” means “machete”). Former members of the now-disbanded Séléka rebel movement, . . . Read More

EU ‘must do more’ to stop religious freedom abuses

Left to right: MEP Dennis de Jong, USCIRF’s Katrina Lantos Swett, EEAS’s Silvio Gonzato, and MEP Peter van Dalen at the report’s launch in Brussels on 3 June.Courtesy European Parliament Intergroup   The new European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, said in October 2014 that upholding the . . . Read More

Religious groups face extinction around world

Campaigners warn that 100 years after the Armenian genocide there are still religious and ethnic groups facing extinction around the world. Groups identified include Christians in Iraq, Syria, Nigeria and the Central African Republic (CAR), and the Christian Kachin in Myanmar. Each of these countries is listed on the 2015 . . . Read More

2014: A year of particular concern

2014: A year of particular concern
If ever there were a year that made plain the importance of religious freedom, 2014 was it, according to the just-released annual report by an American government advisory group. “By any measure, the horrors of the past year speak volumes about how and why religious freedom and the protection of the . . . Read More

2014: A year of rising hostility toward Christians

2014: A year of rising hostility toward Christians
While the world’s eyes were riveted to Syria and Iraq in 2014, life for Christians worsened even more profoundly in Africa, according to an annual report on religious freedom. The situation deteriorated most rapidly in Sub-Saharan Africa, in countries where Islamic extremism is the main source of pressure upon Christians, . . . Read More

‘Freedom of Religion’: comprehensive report launch

A report showing that religious freedom is compromised in nearly 60 percent of countries worldwide is expected to send a signal to governments and religious leaders that this is an issue that can no longer be ignored. The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need’s Religious Freedom in . . . Read More

Priest kidnapped, dozens killed amidst renewed violence in C. African Rep

Priest kidnapped, dozens killed amidst renewed violence in C. African Rep
Fr Mateusz Dziedzic, has been living in CAR since 2009, where he runs nursery schools.Courtesy of Catholic Church in CAR   A Polish priest has been abducted by armed men in the Central African Republic, amidst rising tension which has claimed dozens of lives in recent days. Father Mateusz Dziedzic . . . Read More