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Christian 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.

A photo of Deborah Emmanuel's photo on her Facebook page. Emmanuel, a Christian student in Nigeria, was killed by an Islamic mob on her college campus on May 12, 2022. CNA

Eyewitnesses Detail Last Month Stoning and Murder of Nigerian Christian Student

Jun 23, 2022

A close friend who was with Deborah Emmanuel when she died describes her final hours.

Fr. Idris Moses Gwanube, ordained to the Priesthood on February 25 after he converted from Islam to Catholicism. Credit: Fr. Idris Moses Gwanube

Nigerian Priest Recalls Journey to Priesthood after Converting from Islam to Catholicism

Mar 15, 2022

A Catholic Priest recently ordained in Nigeria’s Jalingo Diocese has, in an interview with ACI Africa, recalled his journey to the Priesthood after he converted from Islam to Catholicism.

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto addresses a dinner of ADF International, "The Crisis of Religious Freedom in Nigeria," at the 2021 International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C. International Religious Freedom Summit 2021

Nigerian Catholic Bishop Says He is "fine", amid Reports He Was Summoned by State Police

Jan 11, 2022

Following Nigerian media reports over the weekend that a Catholic bishop had been summoned for questioning by a state security agency, the bishop in question says he is "fine" and that "the matter [has] actually passed."

Red Week in Poland. Damian Niemczal.

Christians Still Face Persecution Globally, But There are Signs of Hope: Catholic Charity

Dec 30, 2021

Christians continue to face persecution across the globe but there are many signs of hope, according to the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of the Diocese of Yola, pictured in 2015. Ogalaemmauel/CC BY-SA 4.0

Christian Persecution in Nigeria “more intense now than ever”: Catholic Bishop

Dec 16, 2021

A Nigerian Catholic bishop has challenged the United States Secretary of State to justify his decision to remove Nigeria from a persecution watchlist, saying that he has witnessed firsthand the brutal ongoing persecution against Christians in Africa’s most populous nation. 

Bishop Laurent Birfuoré Dabiré of Burkina Faso's Dori Diocese. Credit: Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)

Catholic Charity Raises Alarm Over Resurgent Christian Persecution in Burkina Faso

Nov 13, 2021

Christians who fled their homes in Burkina Faso have recounted how they lived in fear each day when they learnt that their lives were in danger owing to their religion.

A section of the cover of The Oratory, a film that portrays the story of St. Don Bosco in a contemporary Nigerian setting/ Credit: Fr. Cyril Odia, SDB/Dublin

Catholic Nollywood Film Confirms Triumph of Good Over Evil amid Christian Persecution

Sep 23, 2021

Those who have watched “The Oratory”, a film that tells the story of St. Don Bosco, the founder of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), have spoken about a groundbreaking movie whose happy ending confirms that good always triumphs over evil, especially in the context of persecution against Christians.

Nigerian security operatives during a military operation. / Oluwafemi Dawodu/Shutterstock

Knights of Columbus Praise US Listing of Nigeria as 'Country of Particular Concern'

Dec 16, 2020

The Knights of Columbus has praised the United States for listing Nigeria as among the worst countries for religious freedom, and calling renewed attention to the mass killings of Christians in Nigeria.

Map of the Federal Republic of Nigeria / Nigeria

Pope Francis Asks Mary "Mother of Hope" to Intercede for Nigeria's Persecuted Christians

Aug 15, 2020

Pope Francis prayed Saturday for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, “Mother of Hope,” for Nigeria’s persecuted Christians and for peace in conflicts in Africa.

Pope Francis gives his Angelus address June 8, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media/CNA.

Do Not Fear Persecution, Violence: Pope Francis to Catholics

Jun 21, 2020

Pope Francis on Sunday encouraged Christians to fear sin, not the hostility, violence, or persecution they may face when sharing the Gospel with the world.

Nigerian Priest: ‘I want the world to know of the suffering of our people’ 

Mar 13, 2020

“The underlying point of all these attacks is to drive away any Western ideology, Western form of living, and institute the caliphate,” Fr. Jospeph Bature said.

Nigerian Fr. Nicholas Oboh, kidnapped on February 14, 2020 and released February 18, 2020 / Augustine Mario/Twitter

Recently Abducted Nigerian Priest, Fr. Nicolas Oboh “has regained his freedom”

Feb 19, 2020

The Nigerian priest who had been kidnapped by gunmen Nigeria’s Edo State towards the end of last week, Fr. Nicolas Oboh, has been freed, a message from his diocese of Uromi has confirmed.

Fr. Nicholas Oboh. / Augustine Mario/Twitter

BREAKING: Nigerian Priest Abducted in New Attack

Feb 15, 2020

Fr. Nicholas Oboh of the Diocese of Uromi has been abducted by gunmen in the state of Edo in the southwest region of the country.