U.S. Catholic Bishops Announce Holy Mass “for Solidarity with the Bishops and Faithful of Africa” in February

The USCCB guidance also includes logistical details about parking and public transport options near the Basilica to facilitate attendance.

The spiritual event is framed as an expression of solidarity with Catholic communities across Africa facing violent conflicts, displacement, and targeted attacks. 

In a 24 September 2025 statement, Bishop Zaidan articulated the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ concern, noting that “millions of our brothers and sisters on the African continent live displaced from their homes and communities, forced to flee due to conflict, religious and ethnic persecution, economic hardship, and environmental crises.” 

Credit: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

The Chairman of the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace specifically recalled that “hundreds of Christian civilians [have been] massacred in recent weeks and months in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and northern regions as well as in eastern Congo.”

The solidarity initiative builds on previous engagements by U.S. and Catholic Bishops in Africa. In August 2025, during the 20th Plenary Assembly of SECAM in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, Catholic Bishops in the U.S., in Latin America and the Caribbean reaffirmed their ecclesial partnership with counterparts in Africa, describing the relationship as “long-standing and deeply valued.” 

Archbishop Thomas Robert Zinkula, Chairperson of the USCCB Subcommittee on the Church in Africa, during the 20th SECAM Plenary Assembly in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali. Credit: ACI Africa

Catholic Bishops in Africa themselves have reiterated a shared commitment to peace across war-torn areas of the continent, calling for concerted action to address violence in countries including Nigeria, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In a statement following their 11-14 February 2025 Standing Committee meeting at the headquarters of the continental Symposium in Ghana’s capital city, Accra, the leadership of SECAM called for collective action to bring an end to violent conflicts ravaging African countries, including the DRC), Nigeria, Mozambique, and Sudan.

Members of the Standing Committee of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). Credit: SECAM

“We acknowledge the immense suffering that many of our brothers and sisters are enduring due to conflicts, violence, massacres, and instability in various parts of our continent,” SECAM Standing Committee members said, adding, “We stand with you, pray for you, and continue to call for justice, peace, and reconciliation.”

The choice of Bishop Mamza as homilist reflects his active role in speaking about the challenges that Christian communities in Nigeria and beyond grapple with. In remarks to ACI Africa in June 2025 during the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit, the first-ever to be held in Africa, the Nigerian Catholic Bishop acknowledged the severity of violent extremism and sectarian tensions affecting parts of Africa, yet emphasized that “Africa should not lose hope.” He encouraged African faith communities to remain resilient and to promote interreligious dialogue as part of efforts to protect religious freedom.

Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Yola during a panel discussion at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. Credit: ACI Africa

At the same summit, Bishop Mamza stressed that legal protections for religious liberty mean little without practical enforcement, observing that while countries such as Nigeria have constitutions that enshrine religious freedom, implementation remains uneven. His comments highlighted the complexity of advancing both legal and societal respect for freedom of belief.

Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Yola. Credit: ACI Africa

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The context for these ecclesial statements includes ongoing concerns about violence against Christians in Nigeria. In September 2025, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas introduced legislation that required the U.S. President Donald Trump administration, to adopt the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) designation in addition to imposing targeted sanctions against Nigerian government officials who facilitate or permit jihadist attacks against Christians and other religious minorities. 

“Nigerian Christians are being targeted and executed for their faith by Islamist terrorist groups and are being forced to submit to sharia law and blasphemy laws across Nigeria,” Sen. Cruz said in a statement announcing a bill he named the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025.

With the support of the Nigerian government, President Trump announced that the U.S. military had carried out strikes against elements of ISIS in Nigeria that “have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians.”

Credit: ACI Africa

“I have previously warned these terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” President Trump said of the 25 December 2025 action. 

President Donald Trump later vowed that the U.S. would wage more military strikes if the ongoing persecution of Christians persists in the West African country.

The announcement of the February 4 Holy Mass “for Solidarity with the Bishops and Faithful of Africa” situates the planned celebration within a continuum of ecclesial engagement and public concern, reflecting a concerted effort by Catholic leaders on both continents to reinforce bonds of spiritual support while articulating shared aspirations for peace and respect for human dignity. 

By convening member of the Clergy and Laity in Washington DC, organizers aim to amplify messages of concern about violent conflicts, insecurity, and especially persecution of Christians in Africa and deepen collaborative commitments across geographic and cultural boundaries.

This is in line with Pope Leo XIV’s solidarity messages and pleas for prayer for the people of God in Africa going through challenges, including the need for peace in parts of DRC, in Mozambique and in Nigeria, those affected by floods in Southern African countries, especially Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. 

The Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication has launched a new prayer campaign in which Pope Leo XIV invites Catholics to pray with him for the great challenges facing the world.

The “Pray with the Pope” initiative is part of the Holy Father’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which, during the pontificate of the late Pope Francis, launched the project known as “The Pope’s Video,” through which the people of God were invited each month to unite in prayer for a specific intention.