Afghanistan: Difference between revisions

The Catholic Church faces extreme challenges under Taliban rule, with Christianity nearly eradicated since 2021.<ref name="VaticanNews1"/> Blasphemy and apostasy laws carry death sentences, enforced through public floggings and executions, as seen in a 2024 blasphemy case.<ref name="USCIRF2">{{Cite web |title=Afghanistan 2025 USCIRF Annual Report |url=https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2025-03/Afghanistan%202025%20USCIRF%20Annual%20Report.pdf |publisher=U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom |date=2025-04-30 |access-date=2025-09-02}}</ref> Anti-Christian violence, including targeted killings and forced conversions, has eliminated public worship, with underground believers at risk of death.<ref name="CatholicNewsAgency2">{{Cite web |title=Christianity vanishes in Afghanistan |url=https://www.christiandaily.com/news/persecution-worldwide-spikes-as-some-countries-go-from-bad-to-worse |publisher=Christian Daily |date=2025-03-20 |access-date=2025-09-02}}</ref> The Taliban’s ban on non-Muslim activity and ISIS-K attacks on religious minorities further suppress Catholicism.<ref name="StateReligion2">{{Cite web |title=2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Afghanistan |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/afghanistan/ |publisher=U.S. Department of State |date=2021-05-12 |access-date=2025-09-02}}</ref> No formal Church response is possible due to the lack of infrastructure.