Thirty-seven priests, nuns and missionaries were killed worldwide in 2009, nearly twice as many as 2008 and a record high for a decade, the Vatican's news agency said.

The report, published on the Fides website, lists 30 priests, two nuns, two seminarians and three lay volunteers "killed in a violent way" in 2009.

Most deaths occurred in Latin and North America, where 23 of the Catholic workers were killed, 11 died in Africa, two in Asia and one in Europe.

Over the past 10 years, 261 Catholic workers have been killed around the world, including 190 priests and four bishops.

On December 13, Pope Benedict condemned the recent deaths of four monks in a number of African countries.

Among them was 70-year-old French priest Louis Blondel, who was killed during a burglary at his home in a shanty town north of Johannesburg, South Africa.

- AFP