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Christian persecution

Fr. Justine Dyikuk. Credit: Fr. Justine Dyikuk/Facebook

Catholic Priest’s Research Recommends Change of Tact in Fighting Nigeria’s Insurgency

Sep 10, 2023

A Catholic Priest in Nigeria is urging authorities in the West African nation to be more strategic in addressing insurgency in the country, and not to only rely on the military approach.

Fr. Justine Dyikuk. Credit:  Fr. Justine Dyikuk/Facebook

Priest in Nigeria Urges Church Leaders to be “articulate enough” on Christian Persecution

Sep 7, 2023

The Church in Nigeria has distinguished herself as the voice of the people, a Catholic Priest in the West African nation and researcher on insurgency has said, and challenged religious leaders to do more especially in articulating the depth of Christian persecution in the country.

Holy Mass in Burkina Faso. Credit: Aid to the Church in Need

Christians in Burkina Faso Going Back to Church amid Persecution: Catholic Priest

Sep 2, 2023

Christians in Burkina Faso who had abandoned the Church are coming back much stronger, a Catholic Priest serving in the West African nation that is experiencing a high level of persecution has said.

A crucifix which was destroyed during an attack on St. Kisito minor seminary in Bougui, Burkina Faso, Feb. 10, 2022. | Aid to the Church in Need

Priest: "Immense" Pastoral Work Needed Amid Anti-Christian Violence in Burkina Faso

Aug 30, 2023

A missionary priest working in one of the most dangerous countries in the world said this month that “immense” work from religious leaders and mediators is needed to heal the “physical and psychological” damage wrought by years of anti-Christian Islamic violence there. 

Credit: Intersociety

Activists Decry “State Extremism” Following Ban Backed by Christian Leaders in Nigeria

Jul 29, 2023

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has condemned the criminalization of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Monday ‘sit-at-home’ order in Nigeria’s Enugu State, saying that the move amounts to impunity. 

Logo Intersociety. Credit: Intersociety

Alarm as Over 50 Militia Groups Rise against Christians in Nigeria

Jul 22, 2023

Over 50 armed groups, most of them jihadist movements, have sprung up in Nigeria since 2015 targeting Christians, a new report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has established.

An IDP camp in Nigeria's Benue state. Credit: Catholic Diocese of Makurdi Justice and Peace Commission

Jihadists Posing as State Actors to Grab Land from Christians in Nigeria: Report

Jul 19, 2023

Some Nigerian State officials are working in cahoots with jihadist mercenaries to grab land from Christians in the West African country, researchers at the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) have established.

Credit: Intersociety

Top Officials that Nigerian Activists Want Tried for Christian Persecution

Jun 26, 2023

The  International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) is petitioning for the prosecution of over 30 top current and former government officials in Nigeria for killings of Christians in the West African country.

Pope Francis waves to the crowd in St. Peter's Square during his Angelus address on June 25, 2023. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis: Do Not be Afraid to Suffer Criticism to be Faithful to Gospel

Jun 25, 2023

Pope Francis has urged Christians not to be afraid of suffering criticism, economic loss, and persecution for being faithful to what the Church teaches.

Nigerian Bishop Wilfred Anagbe sat down with CNA in June 2023 to discuss the ongoing persecution and killings of Catholics in his country, which has grown so much in recent years that, he said, “it has become a daily occurrence.” | Credit: Photos courtesy of Joop Koopman, Aid to the Church in Need United States

"It has become a daily occurrence": Nigerian Bishop on Persecution, Killings of Catholics

Jun 24, 2023

Nigerian bishop Wilfred Anagbe recently sat down with CNA in Washington, D.C., to discuss the ongoing persecution and killings of Catholics in his country, which has grown so much in recent years that, he said, “it has become a daily occurrence.”

Credit: Intersociety

How Nigerian Government is Overspending to Cover Up Christian Persecution

May 19, 2023

Many individuals and organizations who vehemently spoke against Christian persecution in Nigeria are now silent, a Catholic human rights defender has said, noting that most activists no longer criticize the government amid increasing violation of rights because “they have been bought”.

Fr. Joseph Bature Fidelis the Director of the Human Resource and Skills Acquisition for Trauma Healing Center of the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri. Credit: Fr. Joseph Bature Fidelis

Priest Providing Trauma Therapy in Nigeria Recounts Near-death Experiences with Militants

May 18, 2023

Outside St. Hillary Nursery and Primary School of Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri, a middle-aged Priest gathered teachers and older learners and gave them general absolution. Everyone in the school thought they were going to die. 

Map of Nigeria. | Shutterstock

Nigerian Researchers to Present Government’s “scorecard” Detailing Christian Persecution

May 17, 2023

Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari’s hand-over on May 29 will be followed by the launch of a report detailing his government’s failure to address attacks against Christians in the West African nation, and “aiding” most of the persecution.

“Unacceptable”: Religious Freedom Advocates on Protracted Captivity of Nigerian Teen, Leah

May 16, 2023

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has termed as “unacceptable” the continued holding in captivity of Leah Sharibu, the only remaining student who has not been released since the 2018 Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapping.

Janada Marcus, 22, was forced to flee Boko Haram with her family twice before the terrorists attacked them again, killing her father and kidnapping her. | Aid to the Church in Need

"My parishioners shot dead in cold blood": Priests, Lay Faithful Describe Attacks in Niger

Mar 8, 2023

“Oh, what sorrow to have watched three of my parishioners shot dead in cold blood, right before my eyes — and I couldn’t do anything,” Nigerian parish priest Father Bako Francis Awesuh, 37, shared in a new Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) report published Friday.

Police and residents of Wumat, a farming town 45 miles south of Jos, Nigeria, arrive to survey damage and help survivors of a terrorist attack on Nov 22, 2022. | Courtesy of Victor Nafor

Africa’s Leaders Gather in DC as Religious Persecution in Nigeria is Still Being Ignored

Dec 15, 2022

As President Joe Biden welcomes leaders from over 40 African nations this week, religious freedom advocates are calling for the U.S. government to recognize the rising persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

Pope Francis speaks at the Angelus address on March 20, 2022. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis Honors Comboni Nun Killed by Islamist Terrorists in Mozambique

Sep 11, 2022

Pope Francis in his Angelus address on Sunday honored an Italian missionary sister who was killed by Islamist terrorists in Mozambique.

Catholic journalist Luka Binniyat will stand trial on charges of "cyberstalking" after reporting on the massacre of Christians in Nigeria. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)

Journalist Who Reported on Massacre of Nigerian Christians to Stand Trial

Aug 18, 2022

Luka Binniyat, a Catholic human rights reporter, is facing prison after writing an article in which the Nigerian government was criticized for its inaction in the face of an ongoing threat to Christian communities.

Credit: ACN

Catholic Charity Concerned Christians in Some African Countries Practice Faith Underground

Aug 16, 2022

Christians in Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and in many other African countries experiencing religious persecution are being forced to practice their faith in hiding for fear of attacks, Catholic Pontifical and charity foundation, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, has said.

Priests protest at the funeral of Father Vitus Borogo in the archdiocese of Kaduna on June 30, 2022. Photos courtesy of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna

Nigerian Archbishop Cries at Gravesite of Slain Prest as Catholics Protest Violence

Jul 2, 2022

“People are tired of the killing," a priest from the Archdiocese of Kaduna told CNA.