The number of priests and religious kidnapped increased in 2024, while the numbers arrested for reasons of persecution diminished. In total, ACN registered 121 cases impacting priests and religious, including 13 murders, 37 kidnappings and 71 held under arrest. Ten of these incidents involved women, eight of whom were kidnapped and two arrested.

 More Catholic priests and religious were kidnapped in 2024 than in 2023, according to data collected by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

 Whereas in the previous year, the number of those kidnapped stood at 33, in 2024, a total of 37 members of the clergy and male and female religious were abducted by criminals.

 ACN includes in its lists those who were killed, kidnapped or detained for persecution related reasons, but also those serving in difficult or dangerous locations as a testimony of their commitment to God.

This year’s list of kidnappings is headed by Haiti, where a general collapse in national security led to the kidnapping of 18 priests and religious in 2024, compared to only two in 2023. Nigeria continues to be one of the most dangerous countries in which to be a priest or a religious, but the situation improved noticeably, with 11 kidnappings reported in 2024, lower than the number for 2023. Fortunately, all the victims of kidnapping in both these countries were eventually released.

Three priests were kidnapped during the year in Cameroon, all of whom were released.

A parish priest was abducted by criminals in São Paulo, Brazil, who held him for a few days and robbed him, before he was saved by the police. Bishop Salvador Rangel Mendoza from Mexico was also abducted and later abandoned by the criminals in a hospital, where he recovered.

A young seminarian was kidnapped by military in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but released that same evening, following loud protests from the Church authorities. The colonel responsible for his abduction was expelled from the armed forces and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

A further four priests were kidnapped in previous years but have not been released nor declared dead. These are Fathers John Bako Shekwolo (2019), Joseph Igweagu (2022), Christopher Ogide (2022) – all from Nigeria – and Father Joël Yougbaré, from Burkina Faso, who was kidnapped in 2019 and has not been heard of since. The inclusion of these priests raises the total number of those kidnapped to 41.

Ten people were freed from Russian captivity on June 28, 2024, two of whom were Redemptorist Fathers – Fr. Ivan Levytsky and Fr. Bohdan Heleta, C.Ss.R.
In the photo: Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, with Fr. Ivan Levytskyi.

Arrests down, but still worrying

Less Catholic clergymen and religious were arrested in 2024 than in 2023, but the numbers remain very concerning and point to serious issues with religious freedom and a lack of legal certainty and response in large parts of the world.

According to information collected by ACN, at least 71 clergy and religious were under arrest due to their faith or for merely carrying out their religious mission during the year of 2024. This figure includes those who were arrested before 2024 but were still under arrest at some point in 2024. At the time of writing, ten remained in some form of custody.

 For purposes of this list, ACN counts only arrests that can be considered irregular, or as having a religious or political motivation, and not those who were arrested for suspicion of committing common crimes.

 Some cases of arrests due to religious harassment include two priests and a religious sister in India, in a context of increasing pressure on Catholics and other religious minorities living in a country currently dominated by Hindu nationalists. 

In a few cases, the allegations for the arrest are still unknown or it is not clear whether they were actually motivated by religious discrimination. Father Aurélien Mukangwa, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was arrested at the airport in unknown circumstances.

 Following protests, Fr Aurélien was set free. Polish Fr Michal Olszewski was arrested for alleged financial irregularities, kept in unusually harsh conditions, and released on bail after seven months. He continues to await trial, and his supporters claim he is a victim of a political campaign. 

Father Luiz Claudio da Silva, from Brazil, was arrested after appealing to police officers to act with restraint during a crackdown on a demonstration by landless workers and Sister Mary-Ellen Francouer, from Canada, was arrested for taking part in a sit-in at a bank, with a group of members from different Christian confessions who were protesting the institution’s investment in fossil fuel.