Religious Freedom Week is Upon Us

This week commemorates an important occasion that warrants deep prayer and thoughtful consideration. On Thursday, June 22, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) begins to celebrate Religious Freedom Week. The USCCB states, “Religious freedom allows the Church, and all religious communities, to live out their faith in public and to serve the good of all.” It invites Catholics to “pray, reflect, and act to promote religious freedom.” 

The week runs June 22-29 with each day calling for designated prayers. This year’s theme is “Embracing the Divine Gift of Freedom.”  

The Diocese of Tucson is proud to be considered a multicultural diocese celebrating its diverse priests, religious orders, and laity. Of the nearly 200 priests serving our diocese, about two dozen are from Africa, with 18 from Nigeria. June 26 calls for religious freedom in Nigeria.  

Fr. Richard Kusugh, the pastor at Saint Francis de Sales in Tucson, is from Nigeria. “There’s a lot of conflict in Nigeria, there always has been. Historically there has been a lot of power struggle and no accountability.” In 2022, the New Outlook interviewed Fr. Richard, who explained that the chaotic struggle dates back to 1916 when the British left the region, “Regional leaders wanted to stay in power. Even today, the Muslim community feels like they run the country. National leadership has historically been from the north, which is predominantly Muslim. Then there’s the imposition of Sharia Law versus Civil Law, so one half of the country is saying that we do Civil Law, and the other half of the country says Sharia Law. Then of course, the religious divide is not devoid of cultural leanings as well.” 

Fr. Richard said despite the turmoil, a commitment to faith is strong in his home country, “Nigeria is a very religious country,” said Fr. Richard, with over 20 million Catholics making up a quarter of all Christians in the country. Churches are present on every other street corner with loudspeakers proclaiming the Sunday sermons. The streets are empty on Sunday mornings because everybody goes to church. 

“Around the world, more than 360 million Christians live in places where they experience high levels of persecution, just for following Jesus. That’s one in seven believers, worldwide,” reports Open Doors U.S. in their annual World Watch report on Christian persecution. 

Presently, Nigeria is ranked number six among the countries with the highest levels of persecution. Although Christianity is the predominant religion in Nigeria, Islamic oppression is cited as the primary source of persecution. “Persecution in Nigeria is, simply put, brutally violent. In much of northern Nigeria, Christians live their lives under the constant threat of attack from Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Fulani militants and criminals who kidnap and murder with few consequences. While all citizens of northern Nigeria are subject to threats and violence, Christians are often specifically targeted because of their faith—ISWAP and Boko Haram want to eliminate the Christian presence in Nigeria, and Muslim Fulani militants attack Christian villages specifically” (Open Doors). 

Though challenges remain in Nigeria, Fr. Richard said he is hopeful, “Nigeria is probably the happiest country in the world. Yes, kids go to school without shoes on their feet but they’re still excited and happy. They’re not thinking of all the complexities of a system that’s working against them.” 

As we embark on Religious Freedom week, we call on our Catholic brothers and sisters to thank God for our freedom to worship Jesus Christ in the United States; though there are varying levels of persecution throughout the country and world, let us not forget to pray for our Church.