Vatican cardinal counters USA on Christian genocide claim, says ‘Nigerian Muslims also victims’
“We should also recognise that many Muslims in Nigeria are themselves victims of this same intolerance. These are extremist groups that make no distinctions in pursuing their goals. They use violence against anyone they see as an opponent.”
Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, has downplayed the widely posited religious angle in Nigeria’s insecurity challenge, saying the attacks stem from social causes not religious.
Parolin spoke on Tuesday October 2, 2025 in Rome on the sidelines of the presentation of a report on religious freedom, compiled by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
He said, “It is not a religious conflict. Much of the violence stems from social causes such as land disputes between herders and farmers in the North-Central region.
“We should also recognise that many Muslims in Nigeria are themselves victims of this same intolerance. These are extremist groups that make no distinctions in pursuing their goals. They use violence against anyone they see as an opponent.”
At a separate launch of the ACN report in the UK parliament on the same day, John Bakeni, bishop of the Diocese of Maiduguri, said the underlying causes of violence in Nigeria are complex. He attributed them to factors such as poverty, climate change and competition for land.
However, Bakeni noted that some attacks bore a religious dimension with gunmen attacking churches, priests and other symbols of Christianity “with impunity”.
US comedian and talk show host Bill Maher recently alleged that a “Christian genocide” is taking place in Nigeria, accusing Islamist groups like Boko Haram of killing over 100,000 Christians and burning thousands of churches since 2009. He claimed the attacks amount to an attempt to “wipe out the Christian population.”
Similarly, US Senator Ted Cruz accused Nigerian officials of ignoring or aiding the killings, saying Christians are being targeted and forced under sharia and blasphemy laws. He said he has introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act to sanction officials complicit in the violence.
Riley Moore, a US congressman, also urged the Secretary of State to label Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern and suspend arms sales until the government shows real effort to stop the attacks.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government dismissed the claims, insisting they are attempts to destabilize the country.
