Pope Leo XIV Denounces Bangladesh as Major Persecutor of Christians in Rare Rebuke
Vatican singles out Yunus regime alongside Nigeria, Sudan in global warning.
In a rare and pointed rebuke delivered during Sunday’s Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV explicitly singled out Bangladesh as one of only four countries worldwide where Christians are currently enduring systematic persecution, placing the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in the same category as conflict-ravaged Nigeria, Mozambique, and Sudan.
Broadcast to millions and immediately amplified through the Pope’s official X account on November 17, the Pontiff solemnly stated: “In various parts of the world, Christians suffer discrimination and persecution. I think especially of Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, Sudan, and other countries from which we frequently hear of attacks on communities and places of worship,” a direct naming that Vatican diplomats rarely employ unless evidence of grave violations is overwhelming.
Since the dramatic fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024, hundreds of churches, Hindu temples, and Buddhist shrines have been vandalised, looted, or burned, while minority families — particularly in Chittagong, Khulna, and northern districts — have faced targeted violence from radical Islamist factions that have gained unprecedented street power under the interim administration.
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The Yunus government was forced to admit in Parliament that it had received at least 134 formal allegations of communal attacks between August 5, 2024 and January 8, 2025 alone, a figure that excludes hundreds of additional cases documented by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and international human-rights monitors.
By elevating Bangladesh to the Vatican’s shortlist of worst offenders, Pope Leo XIV has handed the interim regime one of its most serious international condemnations yet, effectively confirming exiled leader Sheikh Hasina’s repeated accusations that hardline groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir and Jamaat-e-Islami affiliates are operating unchecked, turning the country into a new hotspot for religious persecution.
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