The year comes to an end and the Vatican reports that 17 pastoral workers have been killed

The sacrifice of those who devote their lives to serving others continues to exact a heavy toll in blood. According to the latest data compiled by Fides Agency, the number of missionaries and pastoral workers killed violently has risen alarmingly in recent decades, with a total of 1,362 documented victims from 1980 to the present.

A historic upward trend

The breakdown by period reveals a worrying trend in overall violence against church personnel:

• 1980-1989: The following were recorded: 115 missionaries violent deaths, although Fides warns that the figure is «undoubtedly underestimated» as it is based only on reported cases.
• 1990-2000: The figure shot up to 604 killed, almost six times the previous record.
• 2001-2025: So far this century, the list amounts to 643 pastoral agents (adding to the 17 deaths in the last year), consolidating an average of persistent violence in mission areas.

The dramatic increase in the 1990s was largely due to the horror in Central Africa. In 1994 alone, the Rwandan genocide claimed the lives of at least 248 ecclesiastical victims: 3 bishops, 103 priests, 47 non-priest religious, 65 religious sisters, and 30 members of Institutes of Consecrated Life.

An X-ray of violence in 2025

During 2025, 17 missionaries (priests, religious sisters, seminarians, and laypeople) lost their lives violently. Africa and America continue to alternate as the regions of greatest risk:

• Africa (10 killed): It is the continent hardest hit, with six priests, two seminarians, and two catechists killed. The deaths were concentrated in Nigeria (5), Burkina Faso (2), Sierra Leone (1), Kenya (1), and Sudan (1).
• America (4 killed): The deaths of two nuns in Haiti, a priest in Mexico, and a priest of Indian origin in United States.
• Asia (2 killed): A layman and a priest were killed in Myanmar and the Philippines, respectively.
• Europe (1 killed): A priest lost his life in Poland.

Far from withdrawing from the peripheries, these data reflect a Church that maintains its commitment in the most dangerous areas, where pastoral work too often becomes a final testimony of dedication and martyrdom.