Nigeria at the Center of a Global Fight for Religious Freedom
This week circles around a growing global contest for the right to worship freely, with Nigeria foregrounded and faith communities answering with steadfast courage, policy engagement, and prayer.
Week of August 21–27, 2025
Nigeria at the Center of the Religious Freedom Fight
Nigeria has long been described as the deadliest country in the world for Christians, and this week the spotlight sharpened on the urgency of protecting religious liberty there. The new chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has made Nigeria a top priority, declaring a mission to “make a difference. We want to save lives.”
Statistical testimony accompanies that urgency: 69% of Christians killed worldwide in 2023 died in Nigeria, with more than 50,000 killed since 2009. The violence has included mass killings of worshippers, including a June attack on a Catholic church in which more than 200 people were killed. Those figures, drawn from international monitoring, underline a pattern of attack on sacred spaces that cannot be ignored. In the background, disturbing images of burning vehicles from past violence during Holy Week in Nigeria remind clergy and faithful alike that fragile peace can be shattered in an instant.
“We want to make a difference. We want to save lives.”
— Vicky Hartzler, Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Hartzler has urged the U.S. State Department to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and to press the Nigerian government to protect its citizens and prosecute those who attack religion. The call aligns with a broader push to ensure that the protection of religious liberty remains a central element of U.S. foreign policy. The work of USCIRF also emphasizes public accountability through its Victims List, which publicizes the names of people imprisoned or tortured for their beliefs in the hope of exerting international pressure for relief and release.
A Global Alarm: Iran and China Under Pressure
The week’s broader arc turns toward other lands where religious freedom is under pressure. Iran figures prominently in the discourse: more than 900 executions occurred in 2024, and 96 Christians received sentences totaling more than 260 years in prison. These numbers illuminate a regime that treats faith as a political danger and acts accordingly, a reality that calls for sustained international attention and principled response.
China’s ongoing sinicization campaign, particularly in Xinjiang, represents another front in the struggle for authentic religious practice. Mosques and churches are described as being required to display portraits of Xi Jinping and to replace traditional worship with messages aligned to the Chinese Communist Party. Observers describe these measures as not only oppressive but also as deliberate attempts to erase genuine religious expression from public life.
Within USCIRF’s ranks, the historical role of the commission is often framed within a Catholic tradition of defending religious liberty. Stephen Schneck, a former USCIRF chair, warned of a “historic uptick in the persecution of religion around the world” and highlighted genocidal patterns in Asia—the Uyghur situation in China and the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar—emphasizing the need to keep these atrocities in international focus and action.
“Too often these designations come with no sanctions, or sanctions are waived.”
— Stephen Schneck, former USCIRF chair
Nicaragua and Cuba: Regional Realities, Global Consequences
Closer to home in policy discussions, attention shifted to Nicaragua and Cuba, where regional observers point to persistent pressures on the church and religious voices. Maureen Ferguson, a USCIRF commissioner and commentator, drew attention to Nicaragua’s regime actions against the Catholic Church—arresting priests, expelling nuns, and even monitoring homilies. “When they kick out the nuns, what are the nuns doing? They take care of the street girls, the elderly poor who are dying. Who’s taking care of them now? The government is certainly not taking care of these people,” she asked, underscoring how persecution reverberates through social programs and vulnerable lives.
Ferguson also highlighted Cuba’s ongoing repression of churches and independent religious voices as another regional priority for USCIRF. The broader argument she advances ties religious liberty to the defense of human dignity and conscience rights, reflecting a consistent thread across the commission’s work: the freedom to practice one’s faith is a foundational human right that sustains communities and protects the vulnerable.
Advancing Faith and Freedom: The United States’ Role
Throughout these discussions, USCIRF’s Victims List stands as a tangible reminder that religious persecution manifests in real lives: individuals who are imprisoned or tortured for their beliefs. Publicizing their stories serves to press governments to release detainees and to keep the plight of believers in the international conscience. In addition, commissioners consistently call Americans to act—by contacting elected officials, engaging the White House and the State Department, and insisting that religious freedom be a core element of U.S. foreign policy. The reach of faith, after all, is inseparable from the protection of conscience rights and the sanctity of life.
Looking ahead
The path forward hinges on policy measures and ongoing documentation. The U.S. State Department is expected to release the annual International Religious Freedom report soon, a document that will shape future CPC designations, watch lists, and potential sanctions. USCIRF will continue to monitor cases, advocate for those imprisoned for their beliefs, and press governments to uphold the right to worship and live according to one’s conscience.
In this moment, the Catholic community is invited to reflect on the extraordinary courage of those who endure religious harassment and violence, and to renew its own commitment to supporting freedom of faith as a universal human right expressed through prayer, advocacy, and solidarity across borders.
