AI helping fuel reduction in global religious freedom: study
PARIS, France — Threats against religious freedom are increasing across the world, a Roman Catholic aid organisation warned on Tuesday, pointing to a rise in persecution in countries including China and North Korea and the repressive use of AI.
"Almost two-thirds of humanity—almost 5.4 billion people—live in countries where serious religious freedom violations take place," Aid to the Church in Need International (ACN) said.
Twenty-four countries, including China, India, Nigeria and North Korea, are ranked in the worst category—"persecution"—where people face "serious and repeated acts of violence or harassment because of their faith".
Thirty-eight, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Mexico, Turkey and Vietnam, are classified under the second-worst category—"discrimination"—where there are "laws or practices that unfairly target certain religious groups".
Twenty-four others were classed as "under observation", where there are "warning signs of serious violations of religious freedom", ACN's "Religious Freedom in the World Report 2025" stated.
ACN, a papal foundation, said the overall situation has not improved since its last report in 2023, blaming a rise in authoritarianism, jihadist violence and ethno-religious nationalism.
There had been a "sharp rise" in antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes, including in Europe and the United States, since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas militants that sparked the war in Gaza.
On artificial intelligence, the group said the new technology and other digital tools were being "weaponised" to "monitor, profile and penalise religious expression".
"In countries such as China, North Korea and Pakistan, both governments and non-state actors deploy digital tools to censor, intimidate and criminalise believers—transforming religious faith into a perceived security threat," the report stated.
"AI's capacities for manipulative purposes are enormous," it added.
The ACN report, which is published every two years, is the only one conducted by an NGO that looks at all religions.
Pope Leo XIV said in a post on X after its publication that religious freedom was "a cornerstone of any just society, for it safeguards the moral space in which conscience may be formed and exercised".
