Religious freedom under growing threat worldwide, experts warn at Catholic gathering in Italy
Panel discussion at the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples in Rimini highlighted threats to religious freedom worldwide, citing persecution in Nigeria and Lebanon. Speakers, including Italy’s envoy Maria Cristiana Mele, EU envoy Mairead McGuinness, and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, emphasized the role of faith communities in reconciliation and the need for EU and international cooperation to protect the right. Bishop Kukah described how Nigerian terrorist groups now target individuals regardless of faith, undermining the distinction between Christians and Muslims. Journalist Andrea Avveduto explained that authoritarian regimes and rising extremism are turning faith into a perceived threat, leading to the erosion of religious freedom in fragile states.
22 days ago
Religious freedom was the focus of a panel at the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples in Rimini, Italy, where speakers described persecution, religiously linked violence, state fragility, and ideological pressure as growing threats. They emphasized that protecting freedom of belief—including the rights of Muslims, Jews, Yazidis, Christians, and nonbelievers—is essential to human dignity, pluralism, and peace. 1 2
The Aug. 21 panel, titled “The Freedom to Believe: A Human Right at the Center of Geopolitical Challenges,” examined religious minorities in conflict zones, the role of faith communities in reconciliation, and the responsibilities of Italy, the European Union, and international institutions.
Participants included Italy’s special envoy for religious freedom, Maria Cristiana Mele; Cristina Duranti of the Good Shepherd International Foundation; Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto, Nigeria; European Union special envoy Mairead McGuinness; and Andrea Avveduto of the Italian Committee for Freedom of Religion or Belief. Daniela Canclini, the committee’s president, delivered the closing remarks. 1 2
Avveduto identified several factors contributing to the erosion of religious freedom:
He said religious freedom is endangered whenever societies fail to recognize the whole person, including the spiritual dimension of human identity. 1 2
Bishop Kukah described Nigeria’s security crisis as broader than attacks directed exclusively at Christians. He said Boko Haram had previously pursued an explicitly religious agenda, while many current terrorist and criminal groups attack people indiscriminately in villages, farms, churches, mosques, and homes.
According to Kukah, these groups are fragmented and connected primarily by violence, looting, rape, and the mineral trade. He also criticized the Nigerian state for corruption, weak law enforcement, and elections in which wealth can determine political outcomes. 1 2
The article separately cited figures from Open Doors’ World Watch List 2026, according to which 388 million Christians worldwide are exposed to persecution—8 million more than the previous year, or approximately one in seven Christians globally.
It reported that Nigeria accounts for about 3,490 Christian deaths, described as roughly 70% of the global total of Christians killed for their faith. The cited attacks include village assaults, church burnings, and the kidnapping of priests and schoolchildren. 1 2
The discussion also addressed the effects of the Israel-Iran conflict on Lebanon. The article said bombing since the beginning of March had killed more than 2,000 people and displaced over 1 million, including Lebanese Christians with no connection to Hezbollah.
In southern Christian villages such as Rmeich, Debel, and Ain Ebel, priests said daily Mass and communal rosaries were sustaining residents during the bombardment. The article described Lebanese Christians as facing both the physical effects of war and the political consequences of a country whose sovereignty is contested by outside powers. 1 2
The Maronite patriarch’s description of Lebanon as “a message of freedom, dignity, pluralism, and coexistence” was presented as a rationale for supporting Christian communities there and preserving religious diversity in the Middle East.
Sudan was identified as another country experiencing extreme persecution amid civil war. Speakers and interviewees called for sustained attention to affected communities, warning that silence can deepen their isolation.
Suggested forms of support included assistance for local churches, schools, clinics, and other projects that enable people to remain in their homes; diplomatic pressure on governments to protect civilians; and prayer, which persecuted Christians regard as a sign of solidarity rather than merely a symbolic act. 1 2
Avveduto described religious freedom as the “mother of all freedoms” because it concerns conscience, a person’s understanding of truth, and the meaning of life.
He linked respect for religious freedom with broader protections for thought, expression, and association. He also said the right protects nonbelievers by preventing governments from imposing or banning particular worldviews. 1 2
The Church’s position, as presented in the article, is based on universal human dignity rather than special privileges for Christians. Drawing on the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Dignitatis Humanae, Avveduto said faith must be freely accepted and that truth should not be imposed through coercion.
The Church therefore seeks to defend persecuted Christians alongside discriminated-against Muslims, threatened Jews, massacred Yazidis, and other religious communities. 1 2
The panel also discussed “The Italian Way of Interreligious Dialogue,” a pact signed June 25 at Rome’s Ara Pacis and presented to President Sergio Mattarella.
The agreement brings together 15 religious communities, including Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Orthodox, Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu, and Bahá’í groups. Developed over three years, it sets out nine commitments and nine practical actions focused on education, cooperation for the common good, and the promotion of peace.
The pact was presented as an effort to demonstrate that religious communities can contribute to resolving conflict rather than fueling it. Its effectiveness, however, is expected to depend on implementation in schools, cities, and among young people. 1 2
How should the Catholic Church guide international policy to safeguard religious freedom?
The Catholic Church should guide international policy toward universal, substantive, and non-discriminatory religious freedom, combining legal protection with diplomatic action, humanitarian assistance, and solidarity with persecuted communities.
Catholic policy begins with the dignity of every human person. Religious freedom is not a privilege granted by the state or a concession to religious majorities; it belongs to persons because they possess reason, free will, and responsibility before God. John Paul II therefore described freedom of conscience and religion as an “inalienable” human right essential to peace, justice, and human development.
This right includes more than private belief or occasional worship. It protects the freedom:
International policy should therefore reject laws that permit worship while prohibiting religious education, public witness, religious clothing, community organization, or the operation of schools and charitable institutions.
The Church should insist that governments protect every person and every religious minority, not only Christians. The principle is universal because religious freedom arises from human dignity, not from the political usefulness of a particular religion. The USCCB explicitly calls for policies defending religious minorities throughout the world, especially where people face violence because of their faith.
This requires international institutions to condemn:
The Church should also expose the instrumentalization of religion for political purposes. The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue teaches that Christians have a prophetic responsibility to denounce both religious persecution and the use of religion for political ends.
This balance is important: religious freedom must not become a pretext for religious nationalism, sectarian domination, or the manipulation of faith by political authorities.
International organizations and states should recognize religious liberty explicitly in constitutions, treaties, diplomatic agreements, and human-rights monitoring. Pope Francis states that both national and international legal systems are called to “recognize, guarantee and protect” religious freedom, which he identifies as a sign of healthy democracy and a source of state legitimacy.
Accordingly, Catholic diplomacy should encourage governments to:
Such measures should be pursued through multilateral and constructive dialogue, rather than through unilateral ideological confrontation whenever peaceful cooperation remains possible. John Paul II emphasized that international initiatives are most effective when they arise from sustained dialogue and cooperation among states.
Religious freedom includes the freedom of communities—not merely isolated individuals. Religious institutions must be able to educate, worship, organize, serve the poor, and express their moral convictions publicly. The Church’s experience shows that religious liberty is weakened when states permit private belief but restrict institutional identity.
The USCCB argues that faith-based organizations should be recognized as partners in serving society, while governments must not require Catholic institutions to compromise their religious or moral convictions in order to participate in health or social-service programs.
International policy should therefore protect:
This does not mean granting religious bodies immunity from legitimate civil law. It means ensuring that regulation is not used selectively to suppress religious identity or force institutions to act against their foundational beliefs.
The Church should not seek a theocratic state. The International Theological Commission explicitly states that the Church rejects theocratic government and does not regard herself as a pressure group competing with the state. At the same time, she refuses the idea that religion must be confined to private life or excluded from public reasoning.
International policy should therefore promote:
Pope Francis similarly describes religious freedom as compatible with mutual respect and cooperation between religious communities and the state, “without confusion of roles and without antagonism.”
Religious persecution is often intensified by poverty, failed governance, war, terrorism, and social exclusion. Safeguarding religious freedom therefore requires more than issuing declarations. Catholic social teaching calls for solidarity: a firm commitment to the common good, including poverty reduction, fairer economic structures, debt and disease relief, and cooperation with international institutions.
International policy should consequently combine religious-freedom advocacy with:
Refugees who have a well-founded fear of religious persecution should receive asylum and safe-haven opportunities, with particular attention to vulnerable groups such as children, women, and victims of trafficking.
Military force, where considered, must remain subject to strict moral limits concerning its purpose, lawful authority, proportionality, and human cost. It should never be used casually or as a substitute for diplomacy, but the international community must not ignore mass persecution.
Those directly affected by religious-freedom policies should participate in forming them. John Paul II warned that excluding religious institutions and communities from discussions of national laws or international conventions risks producing arbitrary rules that fail to respond to genuine religious needs.
Catholic international engagement should therefore consult:
This consultation must remain principled rather than partisan. The Church’s objective is not merely to defend Catholic interests but to proclaim universal justice and love and to strengthen the civic bonds that serve the common good.
The Catholic Church should guide international policy through five commitments:
Religious freedom is not merely one right among many; it is closely connected to conscience, human dignity, peace, and the legitimacy of political authority. International policy safeguards it most effectively when it protects both personal conviction and the legitimate public life of religious communities.