At least 13 Catholic missionaries, including eight priests and five laypeople, lost their lives in 2024, according to a report published by the Fides News Agency—an organization established by the Council Superior General of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
Based on its verified files released on Monday, December 30, Africa recorded six fatalities while America had five and two deaths occurred in Europe.
In Africa, the six individuals were killed across several countries, including Burkina Faso and South Africa. The Americas saw five pastoral workers murdered in nations such as Colombia and Mexico.
Notable victims included Edmond Bahati Monja, a journalist in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Juan Antonio López, a human rights advocate in Honduras.
Bahati was shot near his home in Goma amid rising violence from armed groups. López was murdered shortly after denouncing alleged ties between local government officials and organized crime.
“As the information on their biographies and the circumstances of their deaths shows, the missionaries and pastoral workers killed were not in the spotlight, but worked to bear witness to their faith in everyday life, not only in contexts marked by violence and conflict,” the report stated.
The Vatican News acknowledged these findings, noting that the report highlighted “the dangers faced by those working in regions plagued by violence, poverty, and corruption.”
Since 2000, a total of 608 missionaries have been killed, reflecting the ongoing violence against those committed to their faith and the communities they serve.
“The little information on the lives and circumstances in which these people died violently give us a picture of daily life, in contexts often marked by violence, poverty and lack of justice. They are often witnesses and missionaries who selflessly sacrificed their lives to Christ until the end,” Fides said.
