AFRICA/NIGERIA - The Bishop of Kano, " persecutions and martyrdom are concrete realities for many Christians in Nigeria "

Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - "The Boko Haram religious sect forms the most comprehensive and extensive challenge to our national life and religious freedom in Nigeria." This was stated by Mgr. John Niyiring, Bishop of Kano, a city in northern Nigeria, where on March 18, 41 people were killed in a suicide bombing at the local bus station. Two suicide bombers launched themselves with a car filled with explosives against five buses full of passengers awaiting departure towards the south of the Country.
In his speech at the conference organized by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, entitled "Peace and Reconciliation, a Nigerian perspective in the light of Africae Munus," Mgr. Niyiring pointed out that "The primary mission of the Church is to proclaim the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ through word and deeds in all contexts and circumstances. The context of our conversation is being a Christian in today`s Nigeria of violence and insecurity. We live in challenging situations in our Country; persecutions and martyrdom are concrete realities for many Christians in Nigeria. " Despite this, the Bishop concluded by saying that " the rich history of the Church demonstrates that the difficulties and challenges from within and without of Christianity can serve as spring bunch for an authentic living out of the gospel values ." (LM) (Agenzia Fides 20/03/2013)