Pray for Ukraine, but Don’t Forget Persecuted Nigerian Christians

F or the relative few paying attention, it seems impossible to keep up with the violence against Christians in Nigeria. A priest is killed, a group is kidnapped. It’s a place of unrelenting terror. I’m glad we care to light buildings in the colors of the Ukrainian flag here in the U.S., but Ukrainians are far from the only people suffering brutal evil in the world today. They just happen to be the ones we are paying attention to now. For good reason, their greatest fear is that the world loses interest in them before long.

At St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan recently welcomed the Knights of Columbus as well as Aid to the Church in Need, two groups that have stepped up to the plate to help Ukrainian refugees. The Knights have the advantage of having people on the ground in both Ukraine and neighboring Poland. He talked about the death of Christ and the Christian’s need to die to the world to follow Christ. If you’re a Nigerian Christian attacked because you are Christian, the very reality of being Christian is to die to the world and choose Christ. In the case of Ukrainians right now, a large population of Christians are being attacked by fellow Christians — the Russian Orthodox Church perversely supports the war against Ukraine. I recently attended a weekday Mass at a Ukrainian Catholic Church in Manhattan — the prayers for their brothers and sisters, some biologically, back in Ukraine came from the depths. Even with our challenges, we are free to walk from church to church or down the block without fear of attacks. (Granted, there are some exceptions to such a state of security — for example, the uptick of antisemitic attacks in New York City.)

Also in New York, Cardinal Dolan was present for the premiere of a documentary on Pope Francis’s visit last March to Iraq. The long-suffering Christians there are mostly forgotten here — Americans often are surprised to learn that there are Christians in Iraq. In the wake of the ISIS genocide, the population of Christians has nearly been decimated, between the deaths and the fleeing. But the Catholic Chaldean Church there rose to the occasion, building a university and a hospital, ministering and providing some hope of a future for Christians in Iraq. They are united in prayer for the people in Ukraine, as Archbishop Bashar Warda said in a message for the premiere of the documentary, Francis in Iraq.

It was produced by Stephen Rasche, the director of the Institute for Ancient and Threatened Christianity, and the author of The Disappearing People: The Tragic Fate of Christians in the Middle East. Rasche is not a filmmaker, but he was one of the first people to go back into the churches that had been desecrated by ISIS. “Demonic” is the only appropriate word to use to describe what was done to the buildings. The photos and videos he took on his phone ultimately became part of the documentary, telling the story of the people who have lived in Iraq since the advent of Christianity. They watch the destruction in Ukraine and feel a solidarity as some people flee while others stay to fight for their continued existence in their homeland. The Iraqi Christians, who often feel forgotten, hope that the world continues to be mindful of the Ukrainians. There was a moment where the U.S. was paying some attention — recognizing the genocide in Iraq. But even during the Trump administration, whose officials talked about religious freedom, we could have been better to the Iraqi Christians, whose future in Iraq remains uncertain.

Francis in Iraq, which is planned to tour universities and other venues in the coming months, is a reminder that most suffering in the world does not make news every day. The Christians in Iraq were overjoyed that Pope Francis took the time to visit them. At the time, media were critical of his visit, because of both Covid-19 and the risk to his safety. But he went and, as testimony in the film makes clear, it gave Iraq Christians courage. It was the encouragement they needed. When you are a persecuted minority, your requests tend to be basic. They want to be known. Isn’t that what every human wants? Doesn’t realizing that make the world less complicated in some ways?

As for the Nigerians, the U.S. State Department last year inexplicably removed their designation as a “country of particular concern,” although any penalties that the designation could have incurred had already been waived by the previous president. Fulani terrorist violence against Christians is sometimes explained as being the result of climate change and ethnic tensions rather than of religious hatred. As Lela Gilbert, author of Saturday People, Sunday People: Israel through the Eyes of a Christian Sojourner, recently wrote:

These explanations from diplomats ignore the anti-Christian nature of the violence, which is clearly indicated by the torching [of] churches, kidnapping of “infidel” pastors and priests, and cries of “Allahu Akbar” that accompany massacres. And, as the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust report points out, “Fulani ‘herders’ have launched multiple and frequent attacks on Christian farming communities in the area, while (locals have) pointed out that the overwhelming majority of Muslim farming communities in the area have gone untouched.”

As we rally to pray and support the Ukrainians, try not to forget that there is a lot of suffering to go around — innocents targeted because of their culture or religion. What Vladimir Putin is aiming for is a cleansing — the Christians in Iraq and Nigeria know that all too well. They know the suffering that we mark during Holy Week. Remember them in prayer or other support. They show us how to live. Francis in Iraq is full of joy. Stripped of distractions, those who are persecuted for their faith know what’s most important: interior freedom, even under the threat of physical extermination.

This column is based on one available through Andrews McMeel Universal’s Newspaper Enterprise Association.

Both Lopez and Rasche are fellows at the Religious Freedom Institute.