Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin is under fire for remarks that downplay the terror attacks that Christians in Nigeria have been suffering at the hands of Islamic extremists for decades.
Parolin was the keynote speaker for an event held at the Vatican on Tuesday. The gathering focused on the recently released 2025 Religious Freedom Report published by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
ACN surveyed 196 countries for its report. It found that just under two-thirds of the world’s population live in countries with “serious or very serious violations of religious freedom.” Twenty-four countries, including Nigeria, received the “worst” category in its report: persecution.
The report notes that “organized crime is a key driver of persecution or discrimination” in Nigeria. It also found that persecution in Nigeria “results from a combination of authoritarian governance and religious extremism.”
“Nigeria has experienced a sharp rise in religiously motivated violence, especially in the North and the Middle Belt,” it recalls. “Armed groups like Boko Haram, ISWAP, and radicalized Fulani herdsmen have targeted churches, villages and religious leaders, leading to widespread displacement, land seizures, and attacks on Christian communities.”
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