The US Ambassador to the Holy See has warned that Christians in Nigeria are facing persecution by Islamist terrorists.
Speaking in a Nov 5 interview on the Fox News Channel show "The Story with Martha MacCallum", Ambassador Brian Burch declared, “They’re literally being slaughtered by the thousands, sometimes hundreds per day, and this is being done by radical Islamic extremists.”
He stressed that the burden of protection lies with the Nigerian government, while noting that the United States “will not stand by and watch the slaughter of thousands of Christians”.
Burch noted that Nigeria was re-designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under US law on 31 October and that “everything is on the table”, including providing aid, weapons, imposing sanctions and even military action, should the situation not improve.
He commended President Donald Trump for being “ready and willing to act” and underlined that the US sees religious freedom as “a cornerstone of human dignity, and this is a foundational element of our foreign policy”.
The ambassador’s remarks are in line with current US presidential policy. President Trump recently posted on social media that he had directed the Department of War to prepare for “possible action” in Nigeria and warned that unless Nigeria stepped up to protect Christians, “we might send the military into Nigeria, guns-a-blazing”.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly added, “Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
On board Air Force One on 2 November, Trump said he was considering “a lot of things” in response to what he described as the killing of “very large numbers” of Christians, hinting at the deployment of troops or use of airstrikes.
In Nigeria, the response has been cautious. Presidential adviser Daniel Bwala told Reuters, “We welcome US assistance as long as it recognises our territorial integrity,” adding that jihadists “are not targeting members of a particular religion and have killed people from all faiths, or none.”
A Nigerian government spokesman told the Associated Press that Washington “cannot unilaterally carry out any military operation in Nigeria”, suggesting that the threat of force should be seen as part of the US president’s strategic communication.
The persecution of Christians in Nigeria has deep roots. Since 2009, more than 125,000 Christians are estimated to have been murdered and over 19,000 churches attacked or destroyed. In 2025 alone, over 7,000 Christians have reportedly been killed.
The CPC designation is intended to spur action and place religious-freedom concerns at the heart of US-Nigeria relations. Historically, Christians in Nigeria – especially in the central and northern regions – have borne the brunt of a violent insurgency by Islamist groups seeking both religious and territorial dominance.
Photo: Brian Burch, as the new US Ambassador to the Holy See, presents his credentials to Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, 13 Sept. 2025 (credit: Vatican Media)
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