Vatican City, Jul 3, 2020 / 04:30 am
The president of the European bishops' commission has promised persecuted Christians in Nigeria that he will advocate for increased support from the European Union.
Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, who leads the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), wrote a letter to the Nigerian bishops stating that the commission will advocate for EU assistance and cooperation with the Nigerian authorities to combat violence and persecution.
The cardinal expressed solidarity with Nigerian Christian communities, who, he wrote, are "living a situation of continuous attacks by terrorists, insurgents and militias, that in some cases reaches levels of genuine criminal persecution," according to a European commission statement July 2.
An estimated 6,000 Nigerian Christians have been killed since 2015, mostly by Boko Haram and militant Fulani herders, the European commission reported.