Remember Our African Brothers and Sisters

Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world, and Africa is the center of that persecution. West Africa is especially bad. Representative Riley Moore (R-WV) recently asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to declare Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern.”

7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria already this year, and it is only October. The Muslim community there often raids Catholic and other Christian communities, killing and kidnapping and forcing conversion to Islam. This has been going on for a long time.

Some of you might remember Fr. Mulumba Kambale Matsongani, an Assumptionist priest who would offer Mass and hear the confessions for our homeschool group at Assumption. He is from the Congo where 13 years ago four of his fellow priests were kidnapped by Muslims. They were never returned. Fr. Matsongani is there now and in constant danger, as are many priests and faithful.

Only this past week the founder of Blackwater, a private military organization that has contracted with the United States government for services in Iraq and other locations, has asked Pope Leo to fund his mercenary army to go to Nigeria and protect the Christian community.

This would not, of course, be the first time the Vatican has contracted mercenaries, but that was usually in the Renaissance. Nor would it be the first time a pope called for the protection of Christians from Muslims. In the words of Pope Urban at the Council of Clermont (1095), “For your brethren who live in the east are in urgent need of your help, and you must hasten to give them the aid which has often been promised them.” These words started the Crusades.

I am not advocating for a mercenary army to invade West Africa to save the Christian communities there. However, I do ask that we not forget our brothers and sisters in Christ. There may need to be a military solution at some point. For now we can remember these brave souls and martyrs in our prayers.