Survivors of Nigeria’s 2022 Pentecost Bombing Feted in Inaugural Award

After the terrorists had fled, Dominic began to scour the church, searching for his wife, who had hidden behind the altar during the attack. 

He is said to have walked past her three times without recognising her, because of the extreme injuries she sustained during the explosion. 

Margaret, a nurse, is said to have lost both her legs and the sight in one eye. 

“Many others also received life-changing injuries,” ACN says, and laments that although the Nigerian government has blamed Islamist terrorists for the attack, no one has been brought to justice for the atrocity.

According to ACN UK National Director, Dr Caroline Hull, Margaret is the face of ongoing Christian persecution across the globe.

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“Margaret represents so many others in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere who are called to live out their faith in ways we in the West can hardly imagine. And they do it – Margaret does it – with so much dignity and love and devotion,” the ACN official says.

Mass at St George’s Cathedral, Southwark, was presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio in the UK, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia, who lauded ACN for supporting the persecuted Church.

Archbishop Buendia said, “Religious freedom is of the utmost importance and Aid to the Church in Need is doing a wonderful service by honoring those who have shown such extraordinary commitment to their faith in the face of persecution.”

The “Courage to be a Christian” award was created by the ACN’s UK office to be part of its 2023 #RedWednesday activities. 

The goal of #RedWednesday, which in some countries has evolved into #RedWeek, is to remind society of the persecution faced by Christians all over the world. In parts of Nigeria, the simple act of going to Mass is an extraordinary act of courage.