The passion of the persecuted: Christians under fire during Holy Week

Easter is the most important holiday in Christianity. The remembrance of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of faith for believers. More than 2,000 years later, thousands of Christians have been killed simply for their faith during this sacred time, and millions continue to live under the threat of violence each year. In 2025, Nigeria once again cemented its grim status as the deadliest country for followers of Jesus, with at least 43 people murdered on Palm Sunday.

According to Open Doors' World Watch List of 2025, more than 380 million people face high levels of persecution and discrimination because of their Christian faith. In the past year alone, 4,476 Christians were killed simply for being believers. Additionally, 209,771 people were forced to flee their homes—many going into hiding or leaving their countries altogether to save their lives. The report also recorded 7,679 attacks on churches and properties belonging to followers of Jesus.

Africa and Asia are the continents where the 13 countries where the persecution of the faithful is considered "extreme" by the organization, and they monopolize the majority of the states where Christians face more difficulties to profess their faith. In fact, only Cuba (ranked 26th), Nicaragua (30th), Mexico (31st) and Colombia (46th) have a place among the 50 worst countries for believers.

They are also the continents where the worst attacks against Christians have occurred, often intensifying around Easter and Christmas—the two most significant holidays in the Christian calendar.

Bloody 2023 in Nigeria: 94 killed during Holy Week

Around 94 people were killed during Holy Week in Nigeria, victims of Islamist terrorist attacks. The first incident occurred on Palm Sunday, when armed men stormed a Pentecostal church in Logo County, Benue, killing a child and kidnapping the pastor along with several worshippers.

On Good Wednesday, 50 people in a Catholic village in Benue State fell victim to an attack by armed assailants. Then, on the night of Good Friday, a day dedicated to the Passion and Death of Jesus, an armed group raided an elementary school in Ngban. The school had been converted into a shelter for about 100 displaced farmers and their families. The attack resulted in 43 deaths and over 40 injuries.

Indonesia bombing in 2021

On Palm Sunday 2021, two suicide bombers detonated explosives as Christians were leaving worship in Makassar, Indonesia. What could have been a massacre resulted in 20 people being injured.

259 dead and 500 injured in Sri Lanka in 2019

On April 21, 2019, 259 people were killed and 500 others injured when seven Islamic State suicide bombers targeted churches and hotels in Sri Lanka. In that tragic attack, 176 children lost one or both parents. "When we arrived at the church, people were running away. I didn’t even try to look for my son because I already knew that Malkiya was in heaven," said Saratha, who lost her 12-year-old son.

Attacks on Christians for celebrating Easter in India in 2018

In 2018, several Christians were attacked during Easter weekend in India. Hindu radicals clashed with pastors and believers as they gathered to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

Egypt 2018

On the Sunday before Easter in 2017, two churches in Egypt were bombed. The attacks, claimed by the Islamic State, killed 49 Christians and wounded more than 110.

Islamic radicals killed 74 people (29 children) in Pakistan in 2016

In 2016, Islamic radicals detonated a bomb in a park in Lahore, Pakistan, during the Easter celebrations. The bombing killed 74 people, including 29 children, and injured more than 300. One Christian survivor told Open Doors, "We celebrated Easter knowing that at any moment a suicide bomber could come and disrupt our service, our worship, our prayer."

Al-Shabaab abducted and murdered 147 students in Kenya in 2015

On Passion Friday in 2015, the extremist group Al-Shabaab attacked Garissa University in Kenya, killing 147 Christian students. Many of the victims were shot while attending a prayer meeting at the school. Ben, one of the survivors, shared with Open Doors: "The wounds are healed, but the scars are there."