Attempts to manipulate Catholics into supporting those who persecute them

Almost two months ago I published this map here prepared by the NGO Open Doors on the persecution of Christians.

Communism, Islamism and the 50 countries that most persecute Christians in 2026
A communist suggesting Christians ally with the Iranian dictatorship: I'm not kidding

The map shows the 50 countries in the world where Christians suffer the most persecution. The presence of some countries on this list should come as no surprise, considering that the ideologies that have most promoted the persecution of Christians in the last century are communism and Islamic fundamentalism. Unsurprisingly, on this list we find 6 countries with communist dictatorships, another 3 with far-left governments, and 37 Islamic countries. These figures are quite revealing.

Yesterday I came across the latest in cynical strategies employed by supporters of one of those ideologies. A well-known communist activist is trying to pit Catholics against Protestants, launching attacks against religious freedom and saying things like that this right was "a Protestant invention to repress Catholics".. A complete absurdity spread by Santiago Armesilla, leader of Vanguardia Española, an extreme left-wing group that glorifies Stalin and North Korea. Armesilla himself stated last month that he considers that Asian country to be a "free country", a statement that would be laughable if we weren't talking about the most brutal dictatorship in the world.

As I pointed out in January, North Korea has been at the top of the lists of countries that persecute Christians for years. That communist dictatorship takes this persecution to extreme levels, just as it does with any form of thought that deviates from the official discourse of that anti-democratic regime. I refer you to what Open Doors says about that dictatorship:

"North Korea is arguably the most dangerous place on earth to follow Jesus. If someone is discovered to be a Christian, the consequences are unimaginably stark: either imprisonment in one of its notorious labour camps, with little hope of release, or immediate execution. The same fate is likely to await other family members.

While the church buildings displayed in the capital Pyongyang might suggest a degree of tolerance, this is propaganda. The reality is very different. Christianity has no place in North Korea, a country where homage must be directed one way only: towards the Kim regime. With watchful eyes everywhere – even from neighbours and family – even the slightest hint of worshipping Jesus can have devastating consequences. Remarkably, believers do gather, but in utmost secrecy and at enormous risk.

Recent years have seen conditions worsen further for North Korea’s secret believers. This is largely due to the ‘anti-reactionary thought law’, introduced in 2020, which made it even clearer that being a Christian and owning a Bible is regarded as a serious crime. The law has reinforced just how much of a threat Christianity is seen to be by the country’s unbending regime."

Whitewashing such an atrocious dictatorship to deceive Catholics is as vile as trying to convince Jews that Nazi Germany was a paradise for Hebrews. This attempt to whitewash the North Korean dictatorship is not an isolated incident. In January, Armesilla stated: "Iran could be an ally of the Christian world against Wahhabism. But Christians, once again, have the wrong enemy. It's not Iran." Let's remember that Iran ranks 10th on the list of countries that most persecute Christians. In that country, persecution reaches extreme levels.

It must be said that activists like the one mentioned are not solely responsible for this shameless attempt to manipulate Catholics into supporting those who persecute us. Those who invite people like him to all sorts of events, often under the pretext of discussing Hispanic culture or patriotism, help whitewash an admirer of Stalin and North Korea and contribute to his messages reaching a wider audience. This collaboration not only includes other far-left activists, but also people who call themselves Christian, patriotic, and/or right-wing. The propaganda of dictatorships like Russia, Iran, and China—three of the regimes in an axis of evil whose common denominator is hatred of the West and democracy—is succeeding in deceiving many people, even some who think they are smarter than everyone else and believe that it is the rest of the population who are being manipulated.

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Image: Puertas Abiertas.