A Christmas message from a country where Christians are being massacred

At Christmas, Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. It is a time of life and hope.

“A genocide”: A bishop speaks bluntly about the suffering of Christians in Nigeria
The words of Pope Leo XIV denouncing the massacres against Christians in Nigeria

Every day, many Christians living in the West sadly witness the evils they suffer in their countries. These evils test their faith and hope. Far from that part of the world, in the heart of Africa, millions of Christians face extremely difficult situations without losing hope. On February 8, 2024, the European Parliament condemned a resolution denouncing the violence against Christians in Nigeria, reporting that since 2009, 52,000 Christians have been killed in that country.

Three months ago, Monsignor Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, Catholic bishop of Makurdi, Nigeria, denounced:

"We need the world to know what is happening here, especially in Benue. The most accurate word to describe the real situation in Nigeria is genocide. The total elimination of the Christian population is underway. A genocide at the hands of jihadists that is also a religious war against us."

Despite this, Christians in Nigeria celebrate Christmas with hope. On December 19, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) published a Christmas message that exemplifies what it means to follow Christ in places where doing so can cost you your life:

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

1. At Christmas, the Church proclaims the truth upon which all Christian hope rests: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God did not respond to the brokenness of the world with distance or indifference. He responded by drawing near. In Jesus Christ, born in humility and vulnerability, God entered human history, embraced human suffering, and chose presence over abandonment. God becomes man and dwells among us. In Him God is Emmanuel, God-with-us. He shares our flesh and lot. It is through this truth that we must read our lives, our nation, and our future.

2. Nigeria today carries heavy wounds. Economic hardship, insecurity, displacement, and persistent violence have left many of our people fearful, weary, and uncertain. Families have been torn apart, livelihoods disrupted, and lives lost to lawlessness. We recall with deep pain the abduction of students and staff from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, and the anguish of families whose loved ones remain in captivity, alongside countless others across the country living under similar threats. They are human lives of immeasurable worth, each bearing the image of God. Yet Christmas proclaims a deeper truth: suffering does not mean abandonment. Because God has entered history, history is never closed. Christian hope does not deny evil, but it refuses to concede that evil is final.

Even when answers are delayed and outcomes remain uncertain, hope assures us that no life is forgotten and that every effort to protect life and restore dignity participates in God’s saving work.

3. Because the birth of Christ assures us that evil does not have the final word, Christmas opens before us the path toward hope and renewal. Peace can be built, unity restored, and justice take root when truth and human dignity are respected. Our nation longs for a future where integrity overcomes corruption and violence gives way to security. While injustice has wounded our common life, Christmas assures us that these patterns are not irreversible.

What has been fractured can be rebuilt, and what has been wounded can be healed, if we accept the shared responsibility this hope demands.

4. Even amid these trials, signs of hope continue to emerge in our land. Across our communities, many Nigerians quietly choose courage over fear, honesty over corruption, and service over self-interest. These daily acts of faithfulness remind us that the moral heart of our nation is still alive and that renewal can grow even in a difficult soil.

5. To celebrate Christmas is therefore to see Nigeria not only as she is, but as she is called to be. Emmanuel, God with us, assures us that our story is not finished, that grace is still at work in our land, and that hope remains stronger than fear. The manger proclaims that despair will not have the last word and calls us to renewed commitment to justice, reconciliation, and peace.

May the light Christmas shine forth anew in our land. May the comforting message of the coming of Emmanuel heal our wounds and bring us consolation in our trials and tribulations. May the birth of the Saviour open new horizons of peace in our dear nation. Amen.

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Image: O Sulvia.