AFRICA/NIGERIA - German Bishops denounce the persecution of Christians in Nigeria

Wednesday, 29 November 2017 persecutions   solidarity   bishops  

Berlin (Agenzia Fides) - "The German Bishops 'Conference is showing solidarity with persecuted Christians all over the world", said His Exc. Mgr. Ludwig Schick, Archbishop of Bamberg, in charge of the missions of the German Bishops' Conference, in presenting a booklet on the activities in favor of persecuted Christians in Nigeria, on November 28, in Berlin. The publication is part of the "Solidarity with persecuted and oppressed Christians in our time".
Mgr. Schick explained that, especially in northern Nigeria, Christians suffer from the effects of Islamist violence, attacks on places of worship, kidnappings and brutal violence by the Boko Haram group. Since 2009, some 20,000 people have been killed by the Islamist sect.
Mgr. Schick, who visited Nigeria last April, stressed the positive role played by the interfaith peace efforts in this context.
Thanks to the joint commitment of the Church and local Muslim dignitaries, a climate of peace has been achieved in some regions.
The President of Missio Aachen, Fr. Klaus Matthias Krämer, stressed that peaceful religious coexistence requires a determined commitment. Coexistence includes the individual's freedom to profess and practice his own faith, as well as to be able to choose it freely.
In 2003 the German Bishops launched their work of raising awareness regarding the situation of Christians threatened by public publications and meetings on the sometimes dramatic conditions in which Christian persecuted communities live in different parts of the world. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 29/11/2017)


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