"Under Caesar's Sword" is a 3 year collaborative project investigating how Christian communities respond when their religious freedom is severely violated.

The Templeton Religion Trust awarded a grant of $1.1 million to the University of Notre Dame and the Religious Freedom Project at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University to carry out the research.

Part of the project is a 26 minute documentary made with Aid to the Church in Need. The film was released this month. It highlights the plight of Christian communities in places such as Turkey and India.

It tells stories such as that of a lady in India who watched her husband being tortured and put to death in front of her and her children because he would not deny his faith in Jesus.

The documentary brings hope though as it illustrates the resilience of these believers; that even in the face of this terrible adversity, they still keep their faith and the Church continues to grow.

"What is remarkable about persecuted Christians is their resilience," said Daniel Philpott, the film's co-director and also a political science professor at the University of Notre Dame. "They are not just victims. Understanding this is the key to being in solidarity with them."

This month, Christians and churches pray for the persecuted church. We would encourage you to watch this film and continue to hold these brothers and sisters in prayer.

You can watch the documentary here and find out more information about the whole project here.