Weekly Bulletin on the Persecution
of Christians Worldwide
16 June 2026
The Universal Christian Church of the New Jerusalem, in her steadfast commitment in bearing witness and in praying for our brothers and sisters whose love nourishes the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, presents her weekly overview of the persecution of Christians around the world.
Ethiopia
Between 30 May and 2 June, a series of coordinated attacks devastated Tewahedo Orthodox Christian communities in the districts of Aseko, Sherka, Honkolo Wabe, and Munesa, located in the East Arsi Zone of the Oromia Regional State. According to Orthodox Church authorities and local sources, between thirty-seven and forty-nine believers were killed, while more than 280 families —approximately 1,500 people — were forced to flee their homes. On 1 June, the historic Church of Saint Gabriel the Archangel in Telata Chefa, built 101 years ago, was set ablaze and completely destroyed. Another church, the Church of the Holy Saviour in Kara Kuftena, was looted.
India
On Sunday 31 May, a mob of Hindu nationalists raided a prayer service attended by around 70 Christians in the village of Sadrapal in the Sukma district of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. The service was led by the community leader Hunga Mandavi. Armed with clubs, bows and arrows, and machetes, the attackers beat men, women and elderly people, injuring at least twenty-five worshippers, including the pastor’s pregnant wife, leaving eight in a critical condition. This assault occurred amid an increasingly hostile climate fuelled by the state’s law against ‘illegal conversions’, enacted in March 2026.
Iran
In the early hours of Thursday, 4 June, at approximately 2:00 a.m., the historic Church of Mashhad, dating back to the early years of the Pahlavi era and listed since 2005 as part of Iran’s national heritage, was demolished by unknown individuals using a bulldozer. The destruction lasted roughly two hours. The demolition of churches, cemeteries, and buildings belonging to Christians and other religious minorities has a long history in Iran and has often taken place with the tacit approval of the authorities.
Mozambique
At dawn on Saturday, 6 June, Bishop Osório Citora Afonso, a 54-year-old Consolata missionary and Catholic bishop in Mozambique, was shot and killed at the episcopal palace in Quelimane (Zambézia province). An unknown number of assailants stormed the residence, opening fire and striking him in the chest, near his heart. The bishops of Africa condemned the murder as “an act of barbarism”, calling for an immediate investigation and greater protection for clergy and places of worship.
Nigeria
On 8 June, Ojoma Emie, a healthcare worker and father of three, was attacked, killed and beheaded by a group of around seven-armed Fulani militants near the village of Ikobi in Apa County, Benue State, while he was returning from Ugbokpo, where he had gone to purchase medical supplies. The following day, on Tuesday 9 June, the same militants ambushed and killed farmer Joseph Dodo Terkura in his rice field in the village of Tse-Agyayo (Ukum County). Christian communities in the area now live in absolute terror, with entire villages being abandoned as roads become scenes of repeated raids.
China
On Sunday 14 June, approximately fifty to sixty police officers raided a Sunday worship service of the Early Rain Covenant Christian Church in a hotel conference room in Jiangyou, Sichuan Province. The church leaders and several worshippers and children present at the gathering were detained and taken to police stations. Among those arrested were elders Yan Hong and Wu Wuqing. Although facing systematic persecution since 2018, the congregation continues to meet, despite arrests, searches and forced evictions.
The solemn Feast of the Triduum dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which has just concluded, has allowed us to live ‘on earth as it is in heaven’ (Mt 6:10). Through the sacrifice of these true martyrs of Jesus, we have come to understand the grace of having been able to celebrate with joy our identity as His sons and also to live in His Kingdom knowing that “when a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him” (Lk 12:48).
The Universal Christian Church of the New Jerusalem entrusts to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, these witnesses of the Way, the Truth and the Life. The sufferings and tribulations of these people find solace in that Heart, pierced out of love for mankind, because they, following Mary’s example, have placed God – the Supreme Good – and His Will, above all else.
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
Anyone who does the will of God,
that person is my brother and sister and mother”
(Mc 3:34-35)