PRESENTATION OF THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THE WORLD REPORT 2025 BY AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) will present the new edition of the Religious Freedom in the World Report 2025 on 21 October in Rome. The event will be held at the Pontifical Patristic Institute “Augustinianum” from 10.00 to 16.00.
The conference will be livestreamed on the Vatican News YouTube channels, with simultaneous translation in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.
Since its first publication in 1999, the Religious Freedom in the World Report (RFR) has become a global-level tool of reference on the state of this fundamental right. It is the only worldwide study on religious freedom compiled by a non-governmental organization. Unlike other Reports and research on the topic, which focus on specific geographical areas or religious communities, the Religious Freedom in the World Report analyses violations of the right to religious freedom in 196 countries and against all religious communities. The Report is published every two years and is published in six languages.
The importance of this publication was recently highlighted by Pope Leo XIV, who received in audience ACN staff and collaborators on 10 October 2025. Referring to the Report, the Holy Father declared: “For more than twenty-five years, your Religious Freedom in the World Report has been a powerful instrument for raising awareness. This report does more than provide information; it bears witness, gives voice to the voiceless, and reveals the hidden suffering of many”.
The conference programme
The 2025 edition will be presented during an entire day of work, which will include high-level interventions, direct testimonies and in-depth analyses.
The opening session, moderated by Alessandro Gisotti, deputy editorial director of the Holy See Dicastery for Communication, will involve the participation of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, who will give the inaugural speech. This will be followed by the presentation of the main results of the report by Marta Petrosillo, Director responsible for the Religious Freedom in the World Report.
There will also be interventions by Alfredo Mantovano, Undersecretary of State of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers; Regina Lynch, Executive President of ACN International; and Sandra Sarti, President of ACN International.
During the meeting, two women sentenced to death because of their faith will provide their testimonies:
Mariam Ibrahim, sentenced for apostasy in Sudan in 2014 and forced to give birth to her daughter in jail, and Shagufta Kausar, imprisoned for eight years in Pakistan, accused of blasphemy.
The morning panel, entitled “Voices of the suffering Church” and moderated by Maria Lozano, Head of Press and Public Relations of ACN International, will give a voice to religious leaders from regions particularly affected by persecution: Bishop Matthew Kukah of Sokoto in Nigeria, Archbishop Jacques Mourad of Homs in Syria, and Archbishop Linus Neli of Manipur, India. Marcela Szymanski, an expert on religious freedom, will present the situation in Latin America.
In the afternoon, the second panel will be dedicated to religious freedom in the West, moderated by Elisabetta Piqué, Vatican correspondent for the Argentine daily newspaper La Nación. There will be interventions by: José Luis Bazán, legal advisor for religious freedom of COMECE (Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union); Mark von Riedemann, Director of Public Affairs and Religious Freedom of ACN International; Roger Kiska, international lawyer engaged in the defence of religious freedom; Ruth Nordström, lawyer and founder of Scandinavian Human Rights Lawyers, who has also represented Ellinor Grimmark, a Swedish obstetrician dismissed for refusing to perform abortions on grounds of conscience.
The day will conclude with Holy Mass at 17.00 at Saint Peter’s, with a special prayer for persecuted Christians.
Petition in defence of religious freedom
During the event, Aid to the Church in Need will present a petition in defence of religious freedom, focusing on Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which protects this right. The petition will be launched on the occasion of the publication of the Report, and will initiate an international campaign to gather signatures, to conclude in November 2026. The signatures will be collected by the ACN’s national offices all over the world.
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is a Catholic charitable organization founded in 1947 to support war refugees. Recognized as a pontifical foundation in 2011, ACN is now a global organization with 24 national offices, serving Christians in the world through information, prayer and action, wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in material need. The organization does not receive public funds, and is supported entirely by private donations. Each year, ACN funds around 5,000 projects in over 130 countries.
Accreditation and media information
ACCREDITATION
Journalists and media operators who wish to participate must obtain accreditation at least 24 hours before the event, via the Holy See Press Office online system at press.vatican.va/accreditamenti
MEDIA POINTS
From 11.00 to 11.30 and from 13.00 to 13.30 there will be two Media Points with various speakers and witnesses available for individual interviews in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German.
For information and interview requests: Maria Lozano, Head of Press and Public Relations, ACN International; press@acn-intl.org
The full programme and further information are available at:
https://acninternational.org/religiousfreedomreport-launchconference/
