The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has cautioned against framing Nigeria’s worsening insecurity as a genocide targeting Christians, insisting that both Muslims and Christians have suffered from the violence plaguing the country.
Speaking in Rome during the launch of the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) 2025 World Report on Religious Freedom, Cardinal Parolin said much of the unrest in Nigeria is rooted in social and economic tensions rather than religion.
“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,” Parolin said.
“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.”
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His comments come amid growing international debate over whether persistent attacks in parts of Nigeria amount to genocide against Christians.
Earlier at the same event, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, urged the global community not to re-designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over alleged religious persecution. He argued that such a move could undermine fragile efforts to promote peace and interfaith dialogue.
Speaking at the Augustinianum Hall in Vatican City, Bishop Kukah acknowledged Nigeria’s deep-seated challenges but stressed that the nation needs support, not sanctions, as it seeks to overcome violence and disunity.
The ACN report highlights a global decline in religious freedom, revealing that more than 5.4 billion people now live in countries where such rights are restricted. It identifies authoritarianism, religious extremism, ethno-religious nationalism, and organised crime as major drivers of persecution worldwide.
Kukah noted that while terrorism, insecurity, and ethnic divisions persist in Nigeria, the situation cannot simply be classified as religious persecution.
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“We are not dealing with people going around wielding machetes to kill me because I am a Christian. I live and work in Sokoto, right in the womb of Islam, where collaboration between Christians and Muslims remains possible. Our lives should be defined by a better narrative,” he said.
However, he acknowledged that state failure has created conditions resembling genocide in some areas.
“Nigerians are dying unacceptable deaths across the country — not only because of their religion but also their ethnicity. We are in the cusp of a weak state with a clear lack of capacity to arrest the descent into anarchy,” Kukah said.
The cleric further described the eight years under former President Muhammadu Buhari as “the worst phase in interfaith relations,” accusing the administration of policies that alienated Christians and emboldened jihadist groups.
