Vatican Cardinal Addresses Christian Genocide Claim: "We Should Also Recognise"
- The Vatican secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, has condemned the allegations that Christians are the ones being targeted by terrorist groups
- Parolin explained that the insecurity in the country was a result of social decadence and that the victims are not only Christians
- He stated this in Rome during his presentation on a report compiled by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) concerning religious freedom
The Vatican secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, has countered those attributing the alleged religious genocide claim in Nigeria to the country's security challenges.
Perolin made this known on Monday, October 27, 2025, in Rome on the sidelines of the presentation of a report on religious freedom. The report was compiled by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
At the event, Perolin stated that the situation in the country was a result of social causes.
Source: Facebook
Vatican speaks on alleged Christian killings in Nigeria
Speaking on the report of the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria, the cardinal explained that one of the social causes of the insecurity in the country is the disputes between farmers and herders in the north-central region of Nigeria.
According to TheCable, the cleric noted that the crisis in Nigeria was not "a religious conflict." He explained that the extremist group in the country are not making distinctions in the killings, adding that they use violence against any opponent.
His statement reads:
“We should also recognise that many Muslims in Nigeria are themselves victims of this same intolerance.”
In another separate launch of the ACN report on the same day in the UK parliament, John Bakeni, the bishop of the Diocese of Maiduguri, added that the underlying causes of the violence in the country were poverty, climate change, and competition.
Nigerian bishop addresses UK congress
According to Bakeni, though some of the attacks have a religious colouration because gunmen are attacking churches, priests and other symbols of Christianity with impunity.
The Catholic leaders' comment came amid the growing concerns from some international lawmakers tagging the insecurity in the country as a Christian genocide. A claim that the federal government has repeatedly rejected.
Following the meeting of President Bola Tinubu on the sidelines of the Aqaba Process meeting in Rome earlier this month, Massad Boulos, US President Donald Trump's senior adviser on Arab and African Affairs, dismissed the allegations.
According to Boulos, the terrorists are killing more Muslims than Christians in Nigeria. He promised that the US will not stop working with the government to end the menace of insecurity in the country.
Nigeria's insecurity challenges escalated ahead of the 2015 general elections when the activities of the Boko Haram terrorist groups took the lives in the northeast region of the country.
Source: Twitter
Oyedepo speaks on how to tackle Nigeria's issues
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the presiding bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners’ Chapel, David Oyedepo, has called on Nigerians, particularly Christians and those in leadership, to embrace divine wisdom as a key to addressing the nation’s challenges.
Speaking during the 40th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) on Thursday, October 23, Oyedepo said true leadership and national progress can only be achieved through wisdom, not merely through the exercise of power.
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Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
