Russian and Polish studies indicate that 422 Catholic priests were executed, murdered or tortured to death, along with 962 monks, nuns and laypeople.

Mr. Torres's relentless years of ministering to gang members, drug addicts and the incarcerated is beginning to be recognized.

"Christians aren't going to come back to stay. The churches I saw were not destroyed with bombs, but by the everyday business operations of the community."

Muslims in an overwhelmingly Buddhist nation, the Rohingya have long faced persecution in Myanmar, where most are denied citizenship.

Russia, Iran and Turkey set up a three-way mechanism to ensure compliance of all sides.

Today thousands of civilians worldwide are maimed or killed each year by these indiscriminate weapons of war.