Prayers for persecuted Christians

There are 6.9 million people in Nicaragua, of which 95% are Christian, however they face increasing hostility when they speak out against the suffering caused by the regime of President Ortega.

The situation has deteriorated significantly since 2018, when widespread protests broke out. Christians have been among those to raise their voice – but it’s coming at an alarming cost. Those visible in the Church, such as the Nuns and Priests, are being harassed and arrested. The harassment and attempt to suffocate the church have become more direct.

Last Easter, police banned processions during Holy Week. Recent changes to the law have been used to label church leaders as terrorists and coup-plotters, and there are suggestions that the government wants to control church affairs such as tithes and offerings.

Nicaragua has risen 20 places on the World Watch List, after appearing in the top 50 for the first time last year. President Ortega’s use of state power, combined with the manipulation of the legal framework, has made it increasingly possible to silence civil society actors who do not align with the ruling party’s interests.

Over half of the population of Mozambique are Christians – 19.2 million of the 34 million people living there.

The rise of Islamic extremism in the north of the country has had a devastating impact on the lives of Christians. Churches have been burnt down, pastors abducted, and many killed.

Mozambique has also become a major hub for drug trafficking, with the presence of cartels contributing to a climate of lawlessness and violence, which indirectly affects the Christian community.

Church youth workers are particularly at risk, as they are often seen as threats to the cartels.

The pastors support Christians and are showing the light of Christ to Muslims. “Thanks to your support, we feel like the body of Christ is helping us fellow Christians,” says Pastor Paulo. “But there is more: when Christians from abroad give help to people here, the Muslim people with whom I am sharing the gospel can see that there is true love among Christians.”

There are almost 7 million Christians in Cuba – that’s more than half of its 11.3 million population. But in Cuba, anything deemed to be in competition with the Communist Party is quashed – and that includes Christianity.

Believers who speak out against human injustice or political corruption – or who dare to criticise the regime – risk harassment, smear campaigns, travel restrictions and even imprisonment.

Churches require registration to be legal, yet the government can deny registration or simply ignore the application of some religious groups, forcing them to operate illegally. This makes it easy for them to fine entire congregations, demolish buildings, confiscate property or close churches down entirely. Registered or unregistered, churches continue to be open for worship throughout Cuba – but only as long as the government allows it.

Is it getting harder to be a Christian in Cuba? Yes!

The Cuban regime continues to crack down on believers, especially those who dare to speak out against the authorities.

There are believed to be about 35,100 Christians in Libya – just 0.5 per cent of the country’s 7.1 million predominantly Muslim population.

Libya continues to be ruled over by militias with very little political stability. But a small number of Libyans have encountered Jesus and chosen to follow Him. It could cost them everything.

Christianity seems impossible in Libya. But God is the God of the impossible. Please pray that these strongholds are broken down, and more and more Libyans will courageously choose Jesus – knowing that He is worth the cost.

Libya has moved up two places on the World Watch List, with the highest increase in the number of reported incidents of violence against believers. It’s clear there is no safe part of Libya for any believer.

Please keep praying for your brothers and sisters in Libya. Your prayers make an enormous difference to those following Jesus no matter the cost.

There are more than 41 million people in Afghanistan, most of whom are Muslim but there are Christians in the thousands.

When the Taliban came to power in August 2021, they did so with pledges to recognise more freedoms than in the past. But that hasn't happened: if an Afghan's Christian faith is discovered, it can be a death sentence, or they can be detained and tortured into giving information about fellow believers.

This means Christians – almost all of whom are converts from Islam – must keep their faith secret, or they may simply disappear.

Under Taliban rule, women face an even more uncertain future. School attendance for girls is restricted, and women are currently barred from the workplace, increasingly limited to their homes.

Being a woman can be dangerous in Afghanistan; being a Christian can be deadly. When the two are combined, it creates an incredibly difficult situation.

Christians in Burkina Faso (in West Africa) who are under threat from jihadists are not afraid to die for their faith.

In February the massacre of 12 people during a prayer service was just one of many incidents of recent terrorism that have led to the displacement of more than two million people.

Despite these difficulties and subsequent persecution, Christians have defied terrorists’ demands to embrace Islam. “In this situation, some of the Christians accept to die."

On many occasions, the population was given an ultimatum to leave their villages and not return. It is a situation of great uncertainty and there is no freedom to worship. This leads many to leave.

Despite these concern, “faith has grown” as the Church has been forced to adapt to the desperate situation. We ask for your prayers in supporting the faithful.

An estimated 400,000 Christians live North Korea, a small percentage of the total population of over 26 million Many of these Christians are imprisoned for their faith.

It’s impossible for Christians to live freely in North Korea. The 'anti-reactionary thought law' (enacted in Dec 2020) makes it amply clear that being a Christian or possessing a Bible is a serious crime and will be severely punished.

Being discovered to be a Christian in North Korea is effectively a death sentence. Either believers will be deported to labour camps as political criminals – where they face a life of hard labour which few survive – or they are killed on the spot. The same fate awaits family members.

Christian women held in the labour camps are acutely vulnerable to sexual violence. Such offences are committed by guards with the deliberate intention of undermining Christian teaching on sexual purity. An estimated 80% of all North Korean defectors are women.

How are Christians persecuted in Mexico?

Although the majority of Mexico's population is Christian, many believers live in danger of persecution, particularly from criminal gangs, drug cartels and indigenous groups.

Christians who bravely speak out against their activities, those who are involved in community work or evangelism (especially with youth, drug addicts and migrants) are deemed a threat—and that makes them a target. The authorities have been unable to stem the growing influence of these criminal groups, making believers even more exposed to attack.

Christians are facing growing pressure in their private lives. Personal expressions of faith – such as owning a Bible in some communities or sharing faith online – are becoming increasingly risky. It’s led to many believers keeping quiet, for fear of reprisal.

Discriminated against and under constant pressure to convert, never are the faithful in Pakistan ashamed to be Christian.

But, did you know that abductions, sexual violence, forced religious conversion, and human trafficking continue to plague Pakistan? Every year up to 1,000 Christian and Hindu women and girls are abducted and many are forced to convert and marry.

Did you know also that Christians in Pakistan struggle to find work? Many destitute Christians in Pakistan’s brick kilns are trapped in a cycle of bonded labour, essentially modern slavery. They face the impossible task of repaying loans taken out to buy food and other basic necessities.