Lenten campaign focuses on persecuted Christians; priest's murder makes message more urgent

(OSV News) -- Aid to the Church in Need's call to the faithful to reflect this Lenten season on the persecution of Christians has taken on more urgency with the news that a Nigerian priest was found murdered on Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.

The Nigerian Diocese of Kafanchan announced that Father Sylvester Okechukwu, who was taken from his residence on the evening of March 4, was found murdered in the early hours of March 5.

ACN said that according to the statement the pontifical charity received from the diocese, "no reason has been given for his murder at the hands of his abductors."

"The untimely and brutal loss has left us heartbroken and devastated," the diocese said, adding that Father Okechukwu "was a dedicated servant of God, who worked selflessly in the vineyard of the Lord, spreading the message of peace, love and hope."

In its March 5 statement, the diocese stressed that "he was always available and accessible to his parishioners. His untimely death has left an indelible void within our diocesan family, and we share in the pain of his passing with his family, friends and all those who knew and loved him."

The priest's murder illustrates the grave situation for Christians living in areas where joyful hope can often be clouded by the darkness of persecution, which is the focus of ACN's Lenten campaign.

In a video published March 4 on X, ACN highlighted Christian persecution in several countries where priests and religious are kidnapped regularly -- Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Sri Lanka and Mozambique, as well as Nigeria.

The video was released as part of the "Martyrs of Our Days: Witnesses of Hope" campaign, an initiative announced by ACN in February as a way of showing solidarity with persecuted Christians around the world during Lent, which is a time of prayer and fasting that prepares Catholics around the world to commemorate Jesus' passion, death and resurrection.

Featuring several testimonies, the video noted that "in the 21st century, the persecution of Christians continues to increase," a statement confirmed in January by Open Doors International, a nongovernmental organization that advocates and provides services for persecuted Christians worldwide.

In its report, titled "The World Watch List 2025," Open Doors International stated that more than 380 million Christians faced persecution and discrimination in 2024, an increase of 15 million from the year before.

Speaking with OSV News March 4, Michael Kelly, ACN's Ireland-based director of public affairs, said Lent, and in particular Ash Wednesday, "is a time when the church asks us to make sacrifices and to think of those less fortunate than ourselves, especially those who are suffering or in any kind of need."

While many Catholics can take for granted that they can "walk around freely expressing our faith by the ashes on our forehead," for others, he said, such a mark risks "ridicule, discrimination, violence, persecution, imprisonment and even death."

"Our most recent report revealed that anti-Christian discrimination and persecution is on the rise," Kelly told OSV News. "And yet, in many of the parts of the world where it is most difficult to be a Christian, the church is growing and people live their faith with great joy, despite the adversity they face."

The video, he added, was made in honor of those persecuted and as a reminder that martyrdom is not a "thing of the past" but rather "a reality for many Christian communities today."

The murder of the Nigerian priest came at a time when another two priests in a country where Christians are regularly discriminated against and persecuted are still missing, having been abducted on Feb. 22 in the Diocese of Yola.

This year alone, five priests and two religious sisters have been kidnapped in Nigeria. Of those, two are still missing, and the remaining four were released alive, ACN said.

In 2024, a total of 13 priests were kidnapped in Nigeria, all of whom were eventually released, and one was murdered, for a total of 14 incidents, the pontifical charity pointed out.

"Wherever I go in the world and meet people who are persecuted for their faith, the one thing they always say is: 'Don't forget us, we rely on you to remember us,'" Kelly said. "Often, we are their only voice, and we must pray for them and express solidarity with them but also advocate for our political leaders to do more for their plight."

Asked about the indifference faced by persecuted Christians, Kelly told OSV News that especially in Western countries, "where Christianity is seen as dominant or powerful," there can be a "certain blindness" to their plight.

To combat this, he added, it is crucial for parishes to embrace the church's universal nature as "one global family united in faith" and bring awareness to the fact that when "one part of the body of Christ is suffering, we are all suffering."

Kelly said he hoped the video will help Christians to "center their prayer" during the Lenten season on the "millions of Christians who live their lives under daily threat, and still cling to their faith in Jesus Christ."

"They could live easier lives if they rejected their faith, but for them that is not something they ever consider -- even to the point of death," he told OSV News. "I hope that people will watch the videos we will release this Lent and talk to their families, communities and fellow parishioners about and develop and heighten a sense of being part of the one global family of prayer in the church."