Through the course of 2015 Catholic mission work, twenty-two (22) Catholic pastoral workers have been killed, the Fides news service reports.
The victims of violence include thirteen priests, four women religious, and five lay Church workers. Majority lost their lives in incidents that were claimed to be robberies or attempted robberies. Others were murdered intentionally, and several were killed by the people they were trying to help.
The FidesNews report notes that the number of pastoral workers killed has climbed each year—a trend that reflects the danger of work in impoverished areas, as well as the rising tide of anti-Christian violence.
The highest toll of death was in the Americas (North and South, treated as a single continent in Vatican statistics): seven priests and one woman religious killed. In Africa, three priests and one woman religious died; in Asia, one priest, two sisters, and four lay people. In Europe two priests were killed.
