ROME – It is “intolerable” that Christians in Nigeria are being targeted for persecution, US Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch said during an event in Rome on Friday.
Group solidarity with the persecuted church (SPC) and the Embassy of the United States of America to the Holy See held a conference on April 17 at the Embassy on threats to religious freedom in Nigeria.
Burch spoke to EWTN News about America’s stance on religious violence in Nigeria. He described the current situation as “a conflict between radical Islamic groups and Christians because of their faith.”
“The United States is religious freedom’s greatest friend,” Burch said. “The purpose of this event is to draw attention to the plight of Christians who are being targeted and killed in Nigeria. Unfortunately, there are extremist Islamic groups who are targeting Christians particularly in their churches and in their homes, and the scale and size of the persecution of Christians there is unbearable.”
Asked about the denial by some Nigerian government officials that Christians are being specifically targeted, Burch stressed that the current violence against Christians is worrying, citing US President Donald Trump, who has designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern in 2025.
“The President has said that Christians are facing an existential crisis in Nigeria, and thanks to his leadership, he is now acting to end it. We have called on the Nigerian government to take the necessary steps to protect Christians, and the United States government is now working in partnership with the Nigerian government to assist them in doing so,” he said.
SPC President Steven Wagner underlined the importance of Nigeria to Christianity in Africa and the need to involve the Holy See in raising awareness.
Wagner said, “As Nigeria goes, so goes Africa. More Christians are martyred for their faith in Nigeria than in any other country on earth. There is a huge crisis of internally displaced people. We are calling on the Vatican to raise public awareness of the problem and encourage the Nigerian government to make progress in protecting its people.”
Burch responds to Trump’s comments on the Pope
In his opening remarks at the conference, Burch commented for the first time on the recent tensions between Trump and Pope Leo XIV. He emphasized the differences in their approaches to armed conflicts and their common goal of eliminating evil.
“In recent days, President Trump and Pope Leo have exchanged sharp words. We should not pretend there are no disagreements. But both men are driven by an unshakable belief in protecting the innocent. One leads with the sword and shield of American power, the other with the cross of sacrificial love. But both are saying, in their own language, ‘Evil must not triumph and innocence must not be forsaken,'” Burch said.
Pope’s visit to Africa
The Pope is currently on his first apostolic visit to Africa – visiting Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, secretary of the evangelical ministry and presenter at the conference, described the visit as a moment of profound unity for all Africans.
“This is Africa, and most of the divisions by countries in Africa are artificial divisions that were imposed on the continent,” Nwachukwu told EWTN News. “Africans often feel united even beyond borders. So the Pope’s message to these churches and these populations will also be a message to the Nigerian population and the Church in Nigeria.”
Many of the issues the Pope is addressing on his visit “are equally shared in Nigeria,” Burch said. The Holy See and the United States “certainly share this deep, fundamental commitment to religious freedom.”
