The Christian Post's top 10 news stories of 2024 (part 2)
4. Persecution: Nicaragua exiles priests; anti-Christian hate crimes rising in Europe
2024 witnessed the continued rise of persecution against Christian communities across the globe, with rampant violence disrupting the lives of hundreds of thousands in some countries while pastors and bishops in others faced prosecution and exile.
In Central America, Nicaragua's crackdown on Catholic and Evangelical leaders worsened this year.
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The Nicaraguan government under the regime of President Daniel Ortega made headlines in January when it exiled Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa and 17 other imprisoned clergy members to the Vatican. The bishop was an outspoken critic of the Ortega regime's human rights violations and was sentenced in 2023 to 26 years in prison for "undermining national integrity."
Several other Catholic priests were exiled throughout the year, including Fathers René Vega Matamoros and Edgard Sacasa, who led the diocese following Bishop Álvarez's earlier exile.
In March, around a dozen Nicaraguan pastors linked to the Texas-based Mountain Gateway ministry were convicted on what advocates called "sham" charges of money laundering. In September, 13 members of the Mountain Gateway ministry were among 135 "unjustly detained political prisoners" released in a deal arranged by the U.S. government.
In August, the Ortega regime canceled the legal registration for hundreds of religious groups, mostly affiliated with Catholic and Evangelical traditions. Advocates decried the mass cancellations as an attack on religious freedom.
While many may think Christian persecution only happens in places like Africa, the Middle East or Asia, a watchdog group warned last month about the troubling rise of hate crimes targeting Christians across Western Europe.
In November, the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe released a report showing there were over 2,444 incidents of "anti-Christian" hate crimes across the continent in 2023.
France saw nearly 1,000 anti-Christain hate crimes in that reporting year, 90% of which were aimed at churches and cemeteries. The United Kingdom had over 700 reported cases, while Germany saw a 105% increase from the previous year. The group reported at least 2,000 cases of damage to Christian places of worship in Germany in 2023.
Samuel Smith contributed to this report.
