LWF sends pastoral letter to member churches in Nigeria
(LWI) – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has expressed deep sorrow and unwavering solidarity with all those affected by violence in Nigeria’s Benue State. On the night of 14 June, armed attackers assaulted camps for internally displaced persons killing over 100 people, many of them children. The camps, run by the Catholic Church, were sanctuaries for Christian civilians who had fled violence, seeking refuge and hope.
Local church leaders say that this is not an isolated incident. Christian communities in northern Nigeria have faced repeated violent attacks in recent years. Entire villages have been emptied and churches desecrated.
The Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) condemned the violence in a public statement and urged the Nigerian government to “take bold, sustained, and transparent actions to protect its citizens.”
In a pastoral letter to LCCN Archbishop Dr Panti Filibus Musa and to the leader of the Lutheran Church of Nigeria Archbishop Dr Christian Ekong, LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Anne Burghardt assured the two churches of the prayers and solidarity of the global Lutheran communion:
“We stand with you to console those who mourn this senseless violence. We pray for the families of the victims, for the survivors, and for the injured — that God may bring them healing and consolation,” she said.
