Pope Leo XIV on Sunday singled out Nigeria as one of 26 countries where Christians endure systematic discrimination and persecution, citing rising attacks on churches, clergy abductions and communal violence in his annual message ahead of the Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians.
In a stark address from St Peter’s Square, the pontiff lamented that believers in parts of Africa and Asia continue to pay “the highest price” for their faith, with Nigeria repeatedly flagged for lethal assaults by jihadist groups and herdsmen militias.
“Nigeria remains a land where being Christian can cost you your life,” the Pope declared, invoking the memory of victims killed in church bombings and villages razed during worship.
He urged global solidarity, stating: “We cannot remain silent when our brothers and sisters are denied the right to profess their faith freely. Their blood cries out, and it demands our concrete action, not just words.”
The Holy See’s latest report documents over 130 incidents targeting Nigerian Christians in 2025 alone, including the murder of priests and the destruction of more than 50 places of worship, mostly in the Middle Belt and northern states.
Pope Leo called on governments to guarantee religious freedom and on the international community to “stop looking the other way,” pledging continued Vatican diplomatic pressure.
Nigeria’s Catholic Bishops Conference welcomed the pontiff’s remarks, with spokesman Father Chris Anyanwu saying: “His voice gives hope to millions who feel abandoned. We pray it moves those in power to act decisively against the perpetrators.”
The Pope’s intervention adds weight to longstanding appeals from rights groups for Nigeria to be redesignated a “Country of Particular Concern” by the United States over religious freedom violations.
