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Catholic Church Calls for Peace in Nigeria

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Catholic Church Calls for Peace in Nigeria

Faith Facts

  • The Catholic Church urges the Nigerian government to intensify efforts to end violence impacting Christian communities.
  • Bishops warn that violence against Christians in Nigeria is becoming habitual, with some attacks gaining a genocidal character.
  • Pope Leo XIV expressed deep concern and called for authorities to act with determination to protect innocent lives.

Nigeria continues to face violence against Christians and other vulnerable groups. Faith leaders are calling for the nation to uphold the sanctity of life and justice.

Kidnappings, murders, and massacres have become disturbingly common, and recent months have seen attacks against both Christian and Muslim communities.

Bishop Wilfred Anagbe has warned that attacks during Christian festivals are becoming

“customary”

in certain regions.

Bishop John Bakeni noted that, in some places, the violence has

“assumed genocidal character.”

The Nigerian President has declared a state of emergency and increased police presence, yet tragedies persist, highlighting the urgent need for faith-driven action.

In January, a pastor and his family were killed.

Over 160 Christians were abducted during services, and many innocent men lost their lives to bandit attacks.

Father Nathaniel Asuwaye, a Catholic priest, was kidnapped by gunmen on February 7.

Jihadist militants killed 160 people in Kwara state for refusing extremism.

The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria said,

“The recurring carnage has become a stain on the conscience of our nation. How can it be justified that, outside of war, over 160 innocent civilians were slaughtered in one coordinated attack in Woro, Kwara State?”

“How do we explain the repeated killings and abductions in Agwara and Tungan Gero in Niger State, the wiping out of entire farming communities in Katsina and Kaduna, and the ongoing violence in Borno? This is not ‘instability’ but a massacre allowed by silence and a betrayal of every Nigerian’s right to live in peace.”

The Church urges government leaders to pursue justice for victims and support for survivors, in accordance with moral and biblical principles.

Pope Leo XIV spoke about Nigeria’s situation, stating,

“It is with sorrow and concern that I learned of the recent attacks against various communities in Nigeria leading to a heavy loss of life.”

“I express my prayerful closeness to all the victims of violence and terrorism. I likewise hope that the competent authorities will continue to work with determination to ensure the safety and protection of the life of every citizen.”

In times of crisis, believers are called to stand for truth, defend the innocent, and pray for peace, trusting that righteous leadership can restore hope and security for all.

Read full report at Christian Today

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Bible Translation Efforts Bring Scripture to Millions Still Waiting

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Faith Facts

  • The Bible is central to making disciples and brings life-changing hope, love, and redemption
  • 535 language communities still need Bible translation to begin
  • Believers worldwide are called to ensure Scripture reaches those still waiting

The Bible remains the foundation for making disciples and carries the power to transform lives with hope, love, and redemption. Yet these truths only reach hearts when Scripture is made available in languages people understand. Translation work continues to open doors for spiritual growth across the majority world.

More than five hundred language communities still lack any portion of the Bible in their heart language. Without this access, countless believers cannot read or hear God’s Word in the format they grasp most clearly. This gap leaves many without the spiritual nourishment that Scripture alone provides.

Christians everywhere share the responsibility to support translation efforts so that every people group may receive the truth of the gospel. Faithful giving, prayer, and involvement help bring the written Word to those who have never held it in their own tongue.

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Baltimore Neighbors Brave Storm for Gospel Tent Revival

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Faith Facts

  • More than 300 neighbors gathered for an old-fashioned tent revival despite frigid winds and rain from an early season nor’easter.
  • One baptism and several Bible studies resulted from the two-day event held by the Sandtown Church of Christ.
  • The revival theme, drawn from Ezekiel 37, centered on God’s power to bring life to dry bones and hopeless communities.

Baltimore Police patrolling from the sky and the ground were just background noise as Davis Worley, minister of the Sandtown Church of Christ in West Baltimore, welcomed the crowd to an old-fashioned tent revival.

More than 300 neighbors attended, despite rain and frigid winds from an early season nor’easter that hammered the mid-Atlantic states for days.


“Revival is more than a date,” Worley told the crowd. “Tonight, family, we stand under the banner of our revival theme, “God’s Power for a Hopeless People: When God Breathes, Dry Bones Live.”

Just a few years ago, the Sandtown-Winchester community was hit by a different kind of storm that left boarded-up buildings, crime scenes and blight when rioting followed the 2015 death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. Gray suffered a spinal cord injury and died in police custody.

Today, Worley said, the congregation is filled with people and hope, and Baltimore police have built a cadre of community chaplains who conduct prayer walks with volunteer chaplains in the community.

Worley garnered support from Churches of Christ across the mid-Atlantic area to fund community events, revivals and an annual backpack drive that serves 400 children. He said church members and contributors donated thousands to complete the simple building where the congregation has met since April 2025.

The retired U.S. Marines staff sergeant worked full time at the Pentagon until May 2025. He began his Sandtown work in 2016 with meetings in a recreation center. He doesn’t take a salary.

“It has been a labor of love for my wife, Tracy, my daughter, Enomi, and others,” he added.

During the tent revival, which was shortened on Saturday because of the rain, a half-dozen ministers preached lessons from Ezekiel 37:1-3.

“The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, very dry bones. He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’”

Evangelists who spoke included Edward Maxwell, from the Clinton Church of Christ in Maryland; Wesley T. Leonard, from the Southside Church of Christ in Orlando, Fla.; Alvin Daniels, from the Hope Church of Christ in Miami; Norman Newton, from the Central Church of Christ in Baltimore; Willie Hubbard, from the District Heights Church of Christ in Maryland; and Melvin Jones, from the Oxon Hill Church of Christ in Maryland.

Alluding to the revival’s theme, Leonard told his audience, “You don’t want to preach in the graveyard.”

Daniels compared Sandtown to Baltimore, where he preaches. For him, the question at hand is, “Can the church take back the community?”

Worley called the event, which led to one baptism and several Bible studies, a “resounding success.”

“My heart is truly rejoicing,” he said.

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Christians Find Hope Amid Rising Global Anxiety

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Faith Facts

  • Christian hope does not ignore the problems of the world but confronts them with faith
  • Recognizing the good and taking small steps toward a better world is a biblical response to anxiety
  • Believers are called to trust God’s promises while actively living out love and compassion

Many of us are carrying significant anxiety about the state of the world, says Patrick Regan.

But Christian hope isn’t about ignoring the problems around us.

“It’s about recognising the good, imagining a better world and taking small steps to make it a reality.”

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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