According to Fides News Agency, in 2016 28 Catholic pastoral care workers were killed: 14 priests, 9 women religious, 1 seminarian and 4 lay people. For the eighth consecutive year, the highest number of deaths took place in the Americas, while the number of women religious killed increased dramatically to 9, which is more than double the amount recorded for 2015.
In the last few years, most of these killings took place as a result of kidnappings or attempted robberies, many of which were carried out ferociously–a sign of human and social contexts characterized by moral decline and economic and cultural poverty, all of which give rise to violence, a lack of respect for human rights and for life itself. In these situations, which are similar all over the globe, there were those who publicly denounced injustices, discriminations, corruption and poverty in the name of the Gospel.
Concern continues to run high about the fate of pastoral care workers who were kidnapped or who have disappeared and of whom there has been no news for some time.
In reading the provisional lists drawn up annually by Fides, we should always keep in mind the many nameless people who will remain unknown to the world but who suffer and even pay with their lives for their faith in Jesus Christ.
