0 th ▁Century ▁ ▁Writing ▁for ▁Catholic ▁Her ald , ▁Robert ▁Royal , ▁president ▁of ▁the ▁Fa ith ▁and ▁Re ason ▁Institute , ▁Washington , ▁D . C . ▁reported ▁about ▁the ▁results ▁of ▁his ▁research ▁which ▁appeared ▁in ▁his ▁book ▁The ▁Catholic ▁Mart y rs ▁of ▁the ▁Tw enti eth ▁Century : ▁A ▁Com pre h ensive ▁Global ▁History . ▁Royal ▁states ▁that ▁in ▁some ▁countries , ▁such ▁as ▁Spain , ▁the ▁Church ▁has ▁documented ▁almost ▁ 8 , 0 0 0 ▁people ▁killed ▁for ▁the ▁Catholic ▁faith ▁during ▁the ▁Spanish ▁Civil ▁War ▁( 1 9 3 6 – 1 9 3 9 ). ▁Royal ▁says , ▁from ▁the ▁former ▁Soviet ▁Union ▁and ▁Eastern ▁Europe , ▁to ▁Naz i ▁Germany , ▁Africa , ▁Asia , ▁and ▁Latin ▁America , ▁thousands ▁of ▁C athol ics ▁have ▁disappeared ▁into ▁g ul ags , ▁been ▁g unn ed ▁down ▁by ▁dict ators , ▁had ▁their ▁heads ▁cut ▁off ▁by ▁anti - C atholic ▁fan at ics , ▁and , ▁in ▁some ▁cases , ▁been ▁cru c ified . ▁ ▁In ▁Sud an , ▁which ▁Royal ▁says ▁is ▁engaged ▁in ▁the ▁most ▁ins id ious ▁anti - C atholic ▁campaign ▁in ▁the ▁world , ▁there ▁have ▁been ▁reports ▁not ▁only ▁of ▁mart yr dom s ▁and ▁cru c if ix ions , ▁but ▁of ▁Christians ▁in ▁the ▁N uba ▁mountains ▁in ▁southern ▁Sud an ▁being ▁sold ▁into ▁sla very . ▁It ▁is ▁estimated ▁that ▁over ▁ 1 . 5 ▁million ▁Christians ▁have ▁been ▁killed ▁by ▁the