Pope Leo mentions Nigeria in new list of persecuted Christian nations

Pope Leo XIV has listed Nigeria among several countries where Christians continue to face discrimination and persecution.

The pope made the comment in a post on X on Sunday through his official account, calling for peace as a heavenly and essential virtue.

“In various parts of the world, Christians suffer discrimination and persecution.”

“I think especially of Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, Sudan, and other countries from which we frequently hear of attacks on communities and places of worship,” he wrote.

He added that “God is a merciful Father who desires peace among all His children,” and said he is praying for the families in Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a recent attack claimed the lives of several civilians.

He also urged believers everywhere to pray for an end to violence while working together for the common good.

Leo’s comments follow growing reports of Christian persecution in Nigeria.

Just last month, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a Pontifical foundation, released a report listing Nigeria among 24 countries where religious freedom is “seriously violated”.

According to the report, “The nature of persecution varies across different contexts. In eight countries, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan and Yemen, it results from a combination of authoritarian governance and religious extremism.”

However, at the presentation of the report in Rome, Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, played down the heavy religious angle often attached to Nigeria’s insecurity crisis.

He said, “We should also recognise that many Muslims in Nigeria are themselves victims of this same intolerance.”

“These are extremist groups that make no distinctions in pursuing their goals. They use violence against anyone they see as an opponent.”

His remarks have triggered strong reactions from some Catholic clergymen.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has re-designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) following the continuous reports of persecution.

But the federal government has rejected this classification, insisting that Nigeria remains a secular nation.

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