The Nigerian Catholic Bishop, who represented members of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) at the IRF Summit, which sought to explore “the impact of government actions on religious freedom”, described the gathering as “timely,” particularly when some African countries grapple with the challenge of sectarian violence.
“If you look at the whole of Africa, West, Central and North Africa, you discover that the issue of religious freedom is not there,” he observed, noting that although some countries “like in Nigeria” have enshrined religious liberty in their Constitutions, “it is not working.”
The Nigerian Catholic Bishop, who has been recognized widely for his peace initiatives in his native country of Nigeria said the first IRF Summit in Africa was a “reawakening” moment for African nations to “put into practice” the legal provisions on religious freedom.
“This is a kind of reawakening, especially for the African continent, that every person has the right to freedom of religion, freedom of association and freedom of belief,” he said.
To further enhance religious freedom, the Catholic Church leader emphasized that faith leaders “should be open to dialogue with people of other religions” and remain steadfast in piling pressure on governments to ensure that “the legal framework is there for people to worship freely.”
“Even if the majority of those in the country are Christians, it is not enough to keep quiet. The minority non-Christians also have the right to practice their own religion,” Bishop Mamza said, and emphasized, “We should always treat people as human beings. What is more important is your humanity, not even your religion.”
For the Nigerian Catholic Bishop, who has been at the helm of Yola Diocese since his Episcopal Consecration in April 2011, people should be allowed to “choose whatever religion” they want to belong to and “be allowed to exercise that freely.”
“The Church should be prepared to support whatever is in place to guarantee freedom of religion. We should be able to team up together and work together in order to fight sectarian violence,” he told ACI Africa at Nairobi’s Safari Park Hotel, the venue of the IRF Summit that sought to explore, among other issues, “the critical role played by faith communities in restoring peace” to the African continent, described as “a region plagued by sectarian violence.”
The IRF Africa Summit, whose Co-Chair is former Nigeria’s First Lady Mrs. Bola Obasanjo, was realized six months after the Open Doors International advocacy group released the World Watch List report on Christian persecution on January 15.
The report indicated that 3,100 Christians were killed, and 2,830 Christians kidnapped in Nigeria in 2024. In the same year, Rwanda suffered the most attacks on Christian churches or buildings placing the number at 4,000, the report further indicated.
