Republican and Democrat leaders urge Biden to add Nigeria to list of countries violating religious freedom
Belmont Abbey College’s strategic plan is based on love and truth. As part of our strategic plan, we have worked to return voices of faith to the public square. To fulfil that element of our plan, we opened up the Belmont House in Washington DC three years ago.
Since that time, we have been using it as a venue to bring together people of faith, people in government, policy experts, and Catholic ecclesiastical leaders from around the world, from Northern Iraq to Lebanon to Nigeria, particularly where Catholics and Christians face severe persecution. One such event was held last summer when Bishop Jude of Nigeria was in attendance and where former Congressman Frank Wolf called for the re-designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, and where policy experts called for the appointment of a Special Envoy to Nigeria — both initiatives of which are the foundation of the bipartisan Nigeria resolution that yesterday Congressman Chris Smith formally introduced in the House of Representatives.
The result, as of today, is that a resolution was introduced to do that. Last year, more than 5,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria – accounting for nearly 90% of Christian deaths worldwide. This demonstrates how meaningful discussions can influence real change that could save lives.
