Cardinal Karl Lehmann, president of the German Bishops’ Conference, intervened at a press conference held in Cologne in late January to present the project “Solidarity with persecuted and oppressed Christians”. He spoke in particular of the situation of Christians in Nigeria, to which the project (now in its second year) is dedicated this year. “The present reality of the persecution of Christians is often ignored and sometimes even suppressed”, said Lehmann, who drew a virtual map of the countries in the world in which Christians suffer various types of persecution. In discussing Islamic fundamentalism and its consequences, Lehmann examined the situation of Christians in the African country, pointing out that “the case of Nigeria makes it clear that religious conflicts form part of a wider scenario of conflicts, with social, cultural and ethnic roots”. The cardinal went on to identify in the “country’s policy in recent decades” a “fundamental cause” of the current conflicts and underlined the exploitation of religion “for political ends”. Lehmann explained the aims of the solidarity project: “We want to create openness, change consciences and the way of perceiving reality, and give new impulses to the life of faith in our communities”. “Assistance to all the persecuted and oppressed, irrespective of their religion, is a duty for Christians,” he declared. “But as the Church in a country in which Christians live in safety and liberty, we too are called to be close to our brothers and sisters in the faith who are persecuted for their faith. If we were incapable of this solidarity, we would betray our faith and our solidarity too would be empty”. Out of a population estimated at over 32.5 million, Muslims in Nigeria account for 73%, animists 16.7%, Christians 9.1%; the remaining 1.2% belong to other faiths.
