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.
Latest News from Worthy News
President Donald Trump on Friday announced the deployment of two U.S. nuclear submarines to undisclosed locations in response to what he called “highly provocative statements” made by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.
Nearly 600 United Nations employees have passed a rare no-confidence vote against Secretary-General António Guterres, Deputy Secretary-General Guy Ryder, and the controversial UN80 reform plan aimed at overhauling the organization ahead of its 80th anniversary.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for a decisive military victory to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, according to a diplomatic source quoted Sunday in Hebrew media. The remarks come amid growing public pressure and internal government debate over whether to expand military operations in Gaza, even at the potential cost of endangering the remaining captives.
China’s tightening grip on the export of critical minerals has thrown U.S. defense manufacturers into crisis mode, delaying weapons production, driving up costs, and exposing the Pentagon’s deep dependence on Beijing for vital components, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation.
Authorities say Russia launched a massive missile attack on Kyiv early Sunday, shortly after what is believed to be Moscow’s deadliest airstrike of the year on the Ukrainian capital killed at least 31 people, including five children, and wounded more than 150. The attacks prompted deadly retaliatory strikes by Ukraine on key Russian targets.
Eighty years after World War II, Hungary has commemorated the thousands of Hungarian Roma, often referred to as Gypsies, who perished in the Holocaust.
An evangelical pastor who spent two years under house arrest in Iran for his Christian faith has urged U.S. President Donald J. Trump to halt the deportation of Iranian Christians, warning they could face imprisonment or even execution for abandoning Islam.