Leading religious leaders and public figures gather in Rome to launch 2025 Religious Freedom Report
Participants in the conference will be hearing first-hand testimonies from victims of religious persecution, including two women who spent years on death row for their faith.
Leading clerics and politicians will be gathering in Rome, on 21 October 2025, for the official launch of the latest edition of the Religious Freedom in the World Report (RFR), produced by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
The public conference will be held in the Auditorium of the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum, in Rome, beginning at 10:00, and will include a speech by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State.
Simultaneous translation in English, Italian, Spanish, German, French, and Portuguese.
The congress will be livestreamed on the Vatican News Youtube channel.
Accreditation Procedure:
Journalists and media operators who wish to participate or get further information can register under: https://acn.go.easyprojects.net/FormRecords/Widget?formId=WTvx77xZA0GE8AZfW6SIrA
Journalists and media operators who wish to participate must apply no less than 24 hours before the event via the Holy See Press Office online accreditation system:
press.vatican.va/accreditamenti
From 11:00 to 11:30 and from 13:00 to 13:30, two Media Points will be held with various speakers and witnesses available for one-on-one interviews in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German.
For information and interview requests: Maria Lozano, Head of Press and PR, ACN International, press@acn-intl.org
Contact:
Diplomats, representatives of NGOs, and religious freedom experts and other invited guests: acn.RSVP@acn-intl.org
Press: press@acn-intl.org
PROGRAMME
FIRST PART: PRESENTATION
09:30 – 10:00 | Accreditation and conference materials
- For journalists, invited guests, diplomats, representatives of NGOs, and religious freedom experts
10:00 – 10:15 | Institutional welcome
- Sandra Sarti, President Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Italy, opens the event
Opening remarks by:
- Regina Lynch, Executive President, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International
- Alfredo Mantovano, Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Italy
10:15 – 10:55 | Official Presentation of the 2025 Religious Freedom Report
- His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV
“25 Years of ACN Religious Freedom Report: Why Religious Freedom Matters Globally” - Marta Petrosillo, Editor-in-Chief – ACN Religious Freedom Report 2025 Overview
o Global trends and developments
o Most affected countries and regions
o Key data and maps
o Encouraging signs and positive developments
Moderator: Alessandro Gisotti, Deputy Editorial Director, Vatican Media
- Launch of ACN global petition “Protect the Right to Believe: A Global Call for Religious Freedom”, Regina Lynch, Executive President, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International
11:00 – 11:30 | Meeting point press (For accredited media only) – The list of speakers and guests available for interviews will be circulated
11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee Break
SECOND PART: PANEL DISCUSSIONS
11:30 – 12:30 | Panel I – “Persecuted but Not Forgotten: Voices from the Suffering Church”
Focus: Recent cases of persecution, testimonies of Christian resilience, and the urgent need for international solidarity
Suggested speakers:
- H. E. Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Bishop of Sokoto, Nigeria
- H. E. Archbishop Jacques Mourad, Syrian Catholic Archbishop of Homs, Syria
- H. E. Archbishop Linus Neli, Archbishop of Imphal, Manipur, India
- Marcela Szymanski, Expert Researcher on religious freedom
Moderator: Maria Lozano, Head of Press and PR, ACN International
12:30 – 12:45 | Personal testimony – Mariam Ibrahim
Christian witness from Sudan; survivor of persecution and symbol of the global Church’s solidarity
13:00 – 13:50 | Light lunch & networking
13:00 – 13:30 | Meeting point press (For accredited media only) – The list of speakers and guests available for interviews will be circulated
14:00 – 15:00 | Panel II – “Religious Freedom in the West: Cultural Crisis or Silent Persecution?”
Focus: Increasing restrictions on religious freedom in democratic societies: legal and cultural pressure, secularist intolerance, challenges to public witness, and the need for interreligious dialogue
Suggested Speakers:
- Jose Luis Bazán, legal advisor for Migration and Asylum and Religious Freedom of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union
- Mark von Riedemann, Director of Advocacy and Religious Freedom, ACN International
- Roger Kiska, International Religious Freedoms Advocate
- Ruth Nordström, Chief Attorney and Founder of Scandinavian Human Rights Lawyers
Moderator: Elisabetta Piqué, Vatican correspondent, La Nación.
15:00 – 15:15 | Final testimony
- Shagufta Kausar, Pakistani Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy charges after eight years in prison
15:15 | Closing Remarks and Final Prayer
- Regina Lynch, Executive President of ACN International
- Final Prayer: A short prayer for persecuted Christians, for peace, and for the courage to defend religious freedom worldwide
17:00 | Holy Mass and prayer for the persecuted Christians
- St. Peter’s Basilica, Altar of the Chair of St. Peter