A LINE of catechumens with their faces blurred stood on a muddy track in a remote area of Bangladesh waiting for their turn to be secretly baptised in a pond in video footage posted by Open Doors, an organisation which tracks worldwide Christian persecution.
These Christians feared to practice their faith where they live.
In Bangladesh, Churches were under increasing attacks and violence was growing.
Authorities often ignored requests for help from the Christian minority, which made up less than one per cent of the population.
Bangladesh was one of many countries covered by Open Doors latest annual report on Christian persecution.
In the last year, globally, Open Doors reported:
- Over 360 million Christians living in places where they experience high levels of persecution and discrimination
- 5898 Christians killed for their faith
- 5110 churches and other Christian buildings attacked
- 6175 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned
- 3829 Christians abducted
Recently, one attack on a Nigerian church celebrating Pentecost Mass left 50 Catholics dead.
The attack was one of a long list of attacks over the last 30 years in the country beginning with riots in 1987.
Other countries like North Korea remain intensely hostile to Christians, often numbering in the top three positions in the Open Doors Watch List for the last 20 years for Christian persecution.
Open Doors reported any follower of Jesus was immediately at risk of “imprisonment, brutal torture and death” in North Korea.
Even so, the report said, Christianity was still growing.
Afghanistan topped the Watch List this year because of the government takeover by the Taliban.
It remained impossible to live openly as a Christian in Afghanistan, the report said.
If caught, Christians usually fled the country or were killed.
To read the full report, go to https://www.opendoorsusa.org/2022-world-watch-list-report/
