The form of Christianity that fewer than 100 people still follow

• Hidden Christians in Nagasaki, Japan, are a community that secretly practised Christianity during periods of persecution, and they are now on the verge of dying out.
• After emerging from isolation in 1865, some Hidden Christians converted to mainstream Catholicism, while others continued their unique practices.
• The Hidden Christians' rituals and traditions have remained unchanged since the 16th century, with group leaders called Oji presiding over ceremonies and different communities worshipping different icons.
• The decline in population, modernisation, and lack of professional religious leaders have made it difficult to maintain the tight networks that sustained Hidden Christianity.
• Efforts are being made to preserve the history and artefacts of Hidden Christians through documentation and archiving, but there is a growing certainty that this unique version of Christianity will disappear with the current generation.

IN FULL

The rare version of Christianity heading toward extinction