By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – African pastors and American Christian leaders were among those preparing for a Good Friday prayer service “for the persecuted Church” at the steps of the United States Capitol, the seat of the U.S. Congress.
In a statement sent to Worthy News, organizers said African pastors attending the service come from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and “are facing persecution and violence for their Christian faith.”
A photo shared with Worthy News purportedly showed a Christian elder who was burned to death by extremists in March. “Pastors Camille and Esther Ntoto will be sharing their experiences in the Congo, where they are based,” added organizers of the Good Friday service.
Earlier, some 70 Christians were found beheaded in a church in the territory of Lubero in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Worthy News reported at the time. The February violence by suspected militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) with ties to the Islamic State group underscored reports of widespread human rights violations against civilians and vulnerable communities, often targeting Christians, in a climate of impunity.
Reverend Patrick Mahoney, Director of the Washington, D.C.-based Christian Defense Coalition group, which organized the Good Friday Service, noticed that “Today, the Christian faith is the most oppressed religion in the world.”
He added that the current “persecution of Christians is at its highest level in history. More than 365 million Christians worldwide face high levels of persecution, violence, and discrimination for their faith. That’s one in seven followers of Jesus worldwide who are targeted and attacked.”
Mahoney stressed that “American Christians cannot abandon the persecuted Church around the world. We cannot be silent or indifferent as our brothers and sisters face brutality and violence simply because of their faith.”
CONGOLESE CHRISTIANS
He explained, “On this Good Friday, we gather around the cross to pray for God’s protection and provision for the persecuted Church and ask our political leaders to be a worldwide public voice and advocate for religious freedom and liberty.”
Alexei Laushkin, founder of the Kingdom Mission Society group, said that “Christians in the Congo, in Nigeria, in Nicaragua, China, North Korea, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Azerbaijan face persecution from [for instance the Islamic State group or] ISIS, communism, and brutal dictatorships.”
He said, “This Good Friday, we are thinking about the betrayal of life, the very suffering that Jesus himself went through and that Christian martyrs today are facing, especially in the Congo.”
Laushkin stressed that those attending the service urge U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Congress “to prioritize protecting Christians facing severe persecution. We are raising our voices to say enough is enough.”
Friday’s prayer vigil at the Capitol in Washington comes after Reverend Mahoney said he won “a historic federal lawsuit in 2024.”
The court ruling opened up the United States Capitol steps “to conduct free speech events, religious gatherings and demonstrations,” he recalled.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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