Open Doors focus - Under Watchful Eyes: Eritrea’s Silent Church Stands Strong ‘Faith that whispers yet refuses to break’

In Eritrea, faith must be practiced in hushed tones. The government recognizes only four religious groups: the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Islam. Any believer who dares to step beyond these lines — particularly those who embrace Protestant Christianity — is seen not as a seeker of truth, but as a threat.

House-to-house raids are common. Worship behind closed doors can mean arrest. Detention without trial. Years in shipping containers, exposed to searing heat and freezing nights. And still, they gather.

Christians like Paulos live under the constant shadow of surveillance. “We live in fear of who will be arrested next,” he says quietly. “Will it be another brother in Christ? Will it be me?” Yet even as fear stalks their steps, they walk on. “We must continue to walk with God.”

For many Eritrean believers, persecution isn’t a headline — it’s daily bread. Phones tapped. Internet watched. Church buildings closed or bulldozed. Pastors vanished. The government’s grip is tight, and its silence loud. Eritrea has been called the North Korea of Africa — and for good reason. Military conscription lasts indefinitely, and Christians are among the first to be punished for their convictions. Refusing to take up arms, many believers are sentenced to years of hard labour with no end in sight.

Yet the underground Church survives. Not because the pressure eases, but because the gospel compels them to endure. Faith flourishes in prisons and secret gatherings, in whispered hymns and memorized Scriptures.

Eritrea’s persecuted Church doesn’t ask for sympathy. It asks for prayer.

Prayer Pointers:

1. Pray: for courage and endurance for Eritrean believers meeting in secret — that they may be strengthened in the face of fear. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you…” Deuteronomy 31:6

2. Pray: Lift up imprisoned Christians, especially pastors and those held without trial — that God would protect them, encourage them, and bring miraculous release. "The Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.” Psalm 69:33

3. Pray: Ask for transformation within Eritrea’s government — that hearts would soften, religious freedom would be recognized, and justice would rise like the dawn. “He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” Luke 4:18

Prayer for Eritrea

Lord, we pray for Eritrea — for courage among believers, freedom for the imprisoned, and comfort for those suffering in silence. Let Your Church endure with hope, and may truth break through fear like morning light. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

More: https://www.opendoors.org.za/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/eritrea/