Publications by Year: 2020

2020
McCleary, Rachel M., and Robert J. Barro. “Opening the Fifth Seal Catholic Martyrs and Forces of Religious Competition .” Journal of Religion and Demography 7 (2020): 92-122.Abstract
Since Pope John Paul II's stock-taking of twentieth century martyrs, the Catholic Church has significantly increased the beatification and canonization of martyrs.  Not only have the numbers of martyrs increased but the definition of martyrdom has expanded.  Using a comprehensive new data set on Catholic martyrs (1588-2020), we argue that the Vatican's recent emphasis on martyrs is a strategic response to competition with Protestants, especially Evangelicals.  Martyrs, unlike regular saints (confessors),  tend to be predominantly male and died in parts of the world where the Catholic Church was actively involved in evangelization or had a significant presence.  Martydom often associates with violent events, such as the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the French Revolution, and with mass persecutions such as in the case of the English Reformation or in cases of repression of missionaries, as in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and China.