The Persecution of Christians in Nigeria and the Illusions of “Religious Liberty”
EWTN News reports that on April 17, 2026, the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See and the group Solidarity with the Persecuted Church (SPC) organized a conference in Rome on threats to religious freedom in Nigeria. U.S. Ambassador Brian Burch described the situation as a “conflict between radical Islamic groups and Christians because of their faith,” calling it “intolerable.” He cited President Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern in 2025, stating that “Christians face an existential crisis in Nigeria.” Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization, described the current papal trip to Africa as a moment of unity, noting that the pope’s message will also reach Nigeria. The article presents a narrative of Christian persecution and interfaith cooperation that, while touching on real suffering, fundamentally misdiagnoses the causes and solutions through the lens of modernist “religious liberty” rather than Catholic truth.







