Christian Persecution 2019 a Scourge of ‘Mammoth Proportions’

June 2019 is an “especially menacing time” for Christians both on the domestic and international fronts, writes Christian persecution expert John L. Allen in a report Sunday.

The U.S. Catholic Church is facing “one of the most serious potential violations of religious freedom in its history in the form of SB 360 in California,” writes Allen, author of the 2013 bestseller The Global War on Christians: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Anti-Christian Persecution, since the bill would compel priests to reveal information learned while hearing confessions as evidence against possible sex offenders.

“The bill passed the California senate in late May by a 30-2 vote and is expected to be considered by the State Assembly in September,” Allen notes.

On the international scene, “the scope of anti-Christian hostility is staggering,” Allen continues, with the number of Christians facing “harassment, physical assault, arrest and imprisonment, torture, and even death” on a daily basis estimated at around 200 million.

Obama Center takes heat as critics cry foul over ID rules for free entry — while Dems blast voter ID laws

Watch: Hegseth Describes Pilot’s Miraculous Easter Rescue in Terms the Godless Biden Admin Wouldn’t Dare Utter

New poll reveals Spanberger’s popularity is plummeting amid backlash over gerrymandering

Mamdani unveils new ‘racial equity plan’ for more ‘equitable future’ that prompts quick DOJ pushback

Bald-headed killer smiles as prosecutors reveal what she did before dad walked in

Tim Walz-Appointed Judge Throws Out All Charges Against Woman Accused of Interrupting Easter Service

AI-backed super PAC expands into multiple GOP primaries after claiming early wins

Repeat offender with 19 felonies busted after wild caught-on-camera chase: police

Trump Says Media Leak Jeopardized Iran Rescue, Threatens Reporter with Jail

Finally: Thanks to Pete Hegseth, American Servicemen Are No Longer Sitting Ducks on Their Own Bases

Orban accuses Ukraine of terrorist plot against pipeline amid uphill election battle

Megan Rapinoe Back in the Spotlight – And Getting Torched – For Blasting Rule Protecting Women Athletes

Trump claims he’d win as the president of Venezuela — just needs to ‘quickly’ learn Spanish

Steve Daines’ handpicked Senate successor Kurt Alme vows to keep Montana in Republican hands in 2026

CIA Director Says Iran Was ‘Embarrassed’ and ‘Humiliated’ After American Rescue Mission

Christians in North Korea, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria and a host of other countries live under a constant threat of active persecution, as documented by Open Doors, a Christian persecution watchdog group.

Even in Latin America, the world’s largest “Catholic” region, the number of Catholic clergy and personnel killed each year frequently tops the list of continents.

While the defense of religious freedom should apply equally to all creeds, Allen asserts, anti-Christian persecution deserves particular focus “given the wall of silence that still too often surrounds the subject.”

“Just as one didn’t have to be Jewish to sympathize with the plight of dissident Jews in the Soviet Union, and didn’t have to be black to be outraged by apartheid in South Africa, similarly today one shouldn’t have to be Christian to recognize anti-Christian persecution as a human rights scourge of mammoth proportions,” Allen writes.

Saturday marked the beginning of the U.S. bishops’ yearly “Religious Freedom Week,” which runs this year from June 22-29.