It deserves to give voice to a martyred Church such as the Church in Africa, especially in countries like Nigeria and Mozambique. On almost every major feast day, where Christians gather for the celebration of the sacred mysteries, there are horrific killings. The situation is reaching such a degree of exasperation that some priests are already warning that many Christians can no longer cope and will be forced to defend themselves with weapons if the attacks continue and the authorities do not respond promptly and justly.
One of the latest massacres has taken place in the village of Aondona, in the diocese of Makurdi, in central Nigeria. The vicar general for pastoral care and director of communications of the diocese has declared that, if the government does not act urgently, "there will come a time when Christians will be forced to take up arms".
According to a report by the Catholic NGO IntersocietyBy the year 2023, at least 52,250 Nigerian Christians have been killed in the last 14 years. Already in a 2021 report by the U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom in the World, Nigeria was considered a tragic killing field.
Violence in Africa
Christians are the majority in the southern part of Nigeria and Muslims in the north. It is true that, in the recent history of the country, violence has not been unidirectional. Nigeria, one of the most populated countries in Africa, has known after its independence, a coup d'état and Muslim politicians and military were assassinated.
The young country has also known tribal fighting, where Muslims and Christians from one tribe were allied against Christians and Muslims from another. However, at present the extreme violence and massacres, according to the news reaching the West, are one-way.
Mozambique is another African country where the rise of extreme violence against Catholics is having a devastating impact in the killing of priests and faithful and the destruction of churches.
There is little we can do, apart from praying and helping these churches financially, but it is necessary, at least, to make it known so that silence is not the main ally of those who murder their neighbors with impunity for reasons of religious faith.
