“A hope filled with immortality because their witness lives on as a prophecy of the victory of good over evil.” These words from Pope Leo XIV introduced the usual report of Fides’s on Catholic missionaries and pastoral workers killed around the world in 2025.
The report provides a profile of men and women who were not in the spotlight, but engaged in the daily witness to the Gospel, often in contexts marked by violence, instability, and conflict. The information made available, often essential, reveals a discreet but constant presence alongside their local communities.
According to data collected by Fides, a total of 17 Catholic missionaries were killed in 2025: priests, nuns, seminarians, and lay people. Africa is the most affected continent, with 10 pastoral workers murdered (6 priests, 2 seminarians, and 2 catechists). The American continent follows, with 4 victims (2 priests and 2 nuns), Asia with 2 missionaries killed (a priest and a layman) and Europe, where a priest was killed.