Pope Leo XIV has named Nigeria among the countries where Christians continue to suffer discrimination and violent attacks. In a message posted on his official X account on Sunday, the pope described peace as a “heavenly virtue” and warned that believers in several regions endure relentless hostility.
He cited Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique and Sudan as places where assaults on worshippers and religious communities remain common.
The pontiff also offered special prayers for families in Kivu, DR Congo, where civilians were recently massacred, urging Christians everywhere to shun violence and work together for the common good.
His comments come amid growing global scrutiny of religious repression in Nigeria, where churches, clergy and Christian communities have faced repeated attacks from extremist groups, armed militias and criminal gangs for more than a decade. 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.”
The organisation linked Nigeria’s situation to a broader pattern also seen in Afghanistan, Libya, Maldives, Pakistan, Sudan and Yemen, where authoritarianism and extremism combine to threaten believers.
However, the Vatican’s top diplomat has urged a more layered reading of Nigeria’s crisis. Speaking in Rome at the report’s presentation, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, cautioned against interpreting the violence solely through a religious lens, noting that many Muslims are also victims of the same extremist actors who “make no distinctions.”
His remarks have sparked pushback from some Catholic clergy who argue that underplaying the religious dimension risks masking the realities faced by targeted Christian communities.
International alarm over Nigeria’s security trajectory continues to intensify. The United States recently re-designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” (CPC), citing ongoing religiously motivated attacks.
The Nigerian government has dismissed the designation, insisting the nation is secular and that insecurity stems from criminality, extremism and governance failures—not state-enabled religious persecution. Pope Leo’s statement nonetheless adds fresh moral pressure on Nigerian authorities and global partners to address the escalating threats facing Christian populations and all vulnerable communities across the country.
