Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, has dismissed the notion that Nigeria’s insecurity is primarily a religious conflict, attributing it instead to social factors. Speaking in Rome on Tuesday during the presentation of a religious freedom report by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Parolin pointed to disputes between herders and farmers in Nigeria’s north-central region as a key driver of violence. “It is not a religious conflict,” he stated, noting that extremist groups target both Christians and Muslims indiscriminately to achieve their goals.Parolin’s remarks come amid growing international concern over reported Christian persecution in Nigeria. He emphasized that “many Muslims in Nigeria are themselves victims of this same intolerance,” urging a broader understanding of the violence.At a parallel ACN report launch in the UK Parliament, Bishop John Bakeni of Maiduguri Diocese acknowledged the complexity of Nigeria’s violence, citing poverty, climate change, and land competition as root causes. However, he noted that some attacks explicitly target Christian symbols, such as churches and priests, suggesting a religious dimension in certain cases.The statements follow international lawmakers’ claims of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, which the Nigerian government has consistently refuted. Massad Boulos, senior adviser to US President Donald Trump, echoed this after meeting President Bola Tinubu in Rome, stating that terrorists kill more Muslims than Christians and affirming US commitment to supporting Nigeria against insecurity.
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