ROME — A Nigerian religious sister has denounced ongoing targeted attacks on Christians in her country as well as the Vatican’s silence on the matter.
Sister Nkiru Esther Ezedinachi of the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Lord Jesus told Crux, a U.S-based online Catholic news outlet, that Christianity in Nigeria “is very much threatened, and Christian leaders do not seem to worry much about it.”
“If they worry, they do little or nothing about it, except very few of them, one out of 500,” she added.
Many clergymen “act as if nothing is happening, except a few of them,” she said. “Many of us here also wonder why the Vatican and Canterbury are keeping so quiet about what is happening in Nigeria – the abduction and killing of religious people.”
Clergymen carry white coffins containing the bodies of priests allegedly killed by Fulani herdsmen, for burial at Ayati-Ikpayongo in Gwer East district of Benue State, north-central Nigeria on May 22, 2018. Two Nigerian priests and 17 worshippers have been buried, nearly a month after an attack on their church, as Catholics took to the streets calling for an end to a spiral of violence. (EMMY IBU/AFP/Getty Images)
Sister Ezedinachi underscored the clearly religious motivation behind the anti-Christian violence.
“In the case of Nigeria, the intention of the abductors and killers of Christian priests and pastors is well known; Islamization and Fulanization,” she said.
The nun also echoed criticism of the government of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari for its negligence in defending Christians.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari (© AFP/File Khalil MAZRAAWI)
Many people “do not have any trust in the present government,” she said. “Many suspect that the growth of Islamic terrorism in Nigeria is because of its president being a Muslim and almost all important organs of the Nigerian government are manned by Fulani Muslims.”
Nigeria is slated to hold presidential elections in 2023, but Ezedinachi is not hopeful that things will get better for Christians.
“Things may get better when a Christian becomes the president, but they are making every effort to prevent that,” she noted. “Many believe that things will be worse if the APC government with their Muslim-Muslim candidates succeed the APC Buhari government.”
In 2021, the Biden administration removed Nigeria from the United States’ list of countries that engage in severe religious freedom violations, despite evidence suggesting there is no country in the world where it is more dangerous to be a Christian.
Earlier this month, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) released a statement blasting the U.S. State Department for refusing to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
“It was a severe misjudgment to have removed Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern to begin with,” the senators said. “For the Biden Administration to double down on this decision, despite Nigeria being one of the deadliest countries on earth for Christians, defies common sense.”
Two weeks ago, President Joe Biden himself praised President Muhammadu Buhari for his leadership, calling Nigeria a model of democracy.
President Joe Biden is seen here attending Mass at Saint Joseph on the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington, Delaware. (AFP)
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