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Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk: The Russian Church will keep supporting persecuted Christians in Africa

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk: The Russian Church will keep supporting persecuted Christians in Africa
Version for print
4 February 2022 year 21:22

Africa today is a hotspot for the persecution of Christians, said Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR) at a press conference held at the Rossiya Segodnya (Russia Today) international news agency on February 4, 2022.

Metropolitan Hilarion pointed out that according to Open Doors charity organization, one in five Christians on the continent faces persecution, and thousands of African Christians are killed every year for their faith in Jesus Christ.

“The Russian Orthodox Church considers countermeasures against persecution on religious grounds as one of its tasks to be accomplished on the international stage. During many years it has rendered support to persecuted Christians in different regions of the world, including Africa,” said the DECR chairman.

He added that His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia had repeatedly said that “the problems of Christians in African countries must not be ignored.”

Devoted to this topic was the international online conference held on the initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Rossiya Segodnya media group in December 2020.

The problem of persecution of Christians in different countries of the world has been raised by the DECR chairman on behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church many times in the last year, for instance, at the International Religious Freedom Summit held in Washington in July 2021 and at his meetings with Mr. Sergey V. Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Metropolitan Hilarion noted that “the Moscow Patriarchate’s work involves both information support of persecuted Christians and humanitarian aid projects.” Also, engaged in this kind of activity is the Interreligious group for the protection of believers fr om discrimination and xenophobia of the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the President of Russia.

“The Moscow Patriarchate provides support to persecuted African Christians working in close coordination with the Christian Churches on the continent, including the largest of them – the Coptic and the Ethiopian Churches. The Russian Orthodox Church works with them in the framework of bilateral commissions on dialogue,” said the hierarch.

For instance, the Moscow Patriarchate supports Christians in Ethiopia who have found themselves in dire situation because of the actions of extremist groups and escalation of confrontation in society. In 2019-2020 His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia pleaded on behalf of Christians who suffered targeted attacks in the central and western regions of Ethiopia. “National authorities heeded his plea and paid regard to the problem,” said the DECR chairman and added that Christians in Ethiopia were grateful to the Russian Orthodox Church for its efforts. “We will keep supporting Christians in Ethiopia in their struggle for survival,” said Metropolitan Hilarion.

He continued to say that the plight of Christians in Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most difficult. The situation in Nigeria is taking a dangerous turn. According to Opens Doors information, this country accounted to 79% of all murders of Christians in Africa in 2021. Over 7,000 Christians had become victims of militants in 2014-2019. Boko Haram extremist fighters (organization banned in the Russian Federation) are spreading terror in the country.

“The Nigerian authorities either do not know about the actual extent of persecution or withhold the truth,” the DECR chairman emphasized.

A high profile incident covered by the international media was the kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls in the Nigerian state of Zamfara in February 2021. In early March they were released. Maybe, a ransom had been paid. The low profile cases are ignored by the international media, the hierarch pointed out.

Metropolitan Hilarion focused attention of listeners on the cases of violence against Christians in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Kenya. The situation in Cameroon is ominous. Mozambique has become an arena of the persecution of Christians. There have been many attacks of radicals on Christian villages located in the central part of Mali in recent months. Since 2015 persecution on religious grounds has been recorded in Burkina Faso, but the most alarming situation is in Niger where Christians amount for no more than 1% of the population.

Persecution of Christian population continues in Somalia. The extension of Al-Shabaab terrorist group (banned in the RF) has turned the country into the place of terror for Christians. Extremists move freely, while the Church worships in secret,” Metropolitan Hilarion said.

Also, he pointed out at the very tough situation of Christians in Libya, wh ere almost none of working churches are left.

“All the mentioned cases do not exhaust the list of countries in which atrocities and violence are being committed against Christians. This list shows the immensity of the disaster. The Russian Orthodox Church will keep supporting persecuted Christians in Africa,” said the DECR chairman.

DECR Communication Service/Patriarchia.ru

Version: Russian, Greek

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