Nations bear the responsibility to protect, respect, and guarantee freedom of religion, said Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, speaking at the event “Standing with Persecuted Christians: Defending the Faith and Christian Values” on March 3.

“Almost 400 million Christians worldwide face persecution or violence, making them the most persecuted religious community in the world. This means that one in seven Christians is affected,” Archbishop Balestrero stated.

The Archbishop explained that for Christians, those who are killed for their faith are “martyrs” — witnesses to their creed who embody values that challenge the logic of power — while from the perspective of international law, “they are victims of outrageous human rights violations.”

Archbishop Balestrero insisted that it is “the State’s duty to protect freedom of religion or belief, which includes preventing third parties from violating this right.” He emphasized that this protection must safeguard believers before, during, and after an attack — and warned that impunity “remains one of the most serious issues in the global landscape of religious persecution.”

He further affirmed that nations must “respect freedom of religion or belief and refrain from interfering with an individual’s or group’s ability to profess their faith privately or publicly through worship, practice, and teaching.”

Archbishop Balestrero described it as “deeply unjust and profoundly concerning” that nearly 400 million Christians around the world are subjected to physical violence, subjugation, false detention, expropriation of property, enslavement, forced exile, and even murder because of their religious beliefs.

He noted that this issue affects countries across the world — including Europe, where over 760 anti-Christian hate crimes were recorded in 2024 alone, encompassing arson attacks on churches, physical assaults, and vandalism.

Citing statistics from the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC), the Archbishop noted that in 2024 there were 2,211 cases of violent incidents affecting Christians in Europe — including prosecutions for silent prayer near abortion facilities, or for quoting a Bible verse on social issues. He insisted these “are not superficial acts” but “serious violations of the rights of Christians, perpetrated by the very authorities who are charged with the duty of respecting, protecting, and promoting the human rights of all.”

Closing his address, Archbishop Balestrero offered a theological framing, stating that “attacks on Christians are attacks on the Cross itself.” He described the cross as formed by a vertical line representing human openness to transcendence, and a horizontal line symbolizing the human bond with others.

Attacks on the vertical dimension, he said, seek to “sever the relationship between conscience and God” — confining faith to silence and closing “the space in which the human spirit transcends itself.” Attacks on the horizontal dimension, he concluded, deprive “the human person of their innate capacity to respond freely to the call of truth,” and ultimately risk the disintegration of community itself.

“This contradiction must end,” the Archbishop declared.