Pope Leo XIV on Nigeria: \u2018Christians and Muslims have been slaughtered\u2019 Both Christians and Muslims have been slaughtered in Nigeria, where there is terrorist activity over economic questions, Pope Leo XIV told journalists as he left his Castel Gandolfo residence on Tuesday evening. \u201cI think in Nigeria, in certain areas, there is certainly a danger for Christians, but for all people. Christians and Muslims have been slaughtered,\u201d he said, addressing a question from EWTN News about the safety of Nigerian Christians on Nov. 18. \u201cThere\u2019s a question of terrorism. There\u2019s a question that has to do a lot with economics, if you will, and control of the lands that they have,\u201d the pope continued. \u201cUnfortunately, many Christians have died, and I think it\u2019s very, it\u2019s important to seek a way for the government, with all peoples, to promote authentic religious freedom.\u201d Leo answered questions from journalists as he left his Castel Gandolfo residence, Villa Barberini, to return to the Vatican after spending the day at the papal retreat, located 18 miles south of Rome. As he left his residence, Leo was greeted to enthusiastic cheers from a small group of people, including several engaged couples participating in a marriage preparation course at the local parish. The young people, together with their pastor, Father Tadeusz Rozmus, gave the pope a framed photo of their group. U.S. President Donald Trump made Nigeria a country of particular concern on Nov. 3. The U.S. government gives the designation to countries identified as having or tolerating particularly severe religious freedom violations. In the wake of the designation, Nigeria\u2019s government denied that ongoing violence in the country is based on religious affiliation or that Christians are being targeted in particular. \u201cPortraying Nigeria\u2019s security challenges as a targeted campaign against a single religious group is a gross misrepresentation of reality,\u201d authorities said in a statement posted on X on Sept. 28. \u201cTerrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology \u2014 Muslims, Christians, and those of no faith alike,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cChristianity is neither endangered nor marginalized in Nigeria.\u201d Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, drew criticism last month after telling journalists that violence in Nigeria was \u201cnot a religious conflict, but rather a social conflict, for example, between herders and farmers.\u201d Parolin\u2019s remarks were made on the sidelines of a conference for the release of the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need\u2019s 2025 Religious Freedom Report. \u201cLet\u2019s keep in mind that many Muslims who come to Nigeria are victims of this intolerance,\u201d he continued.\u201d So, these extremist groups, these groups that make no distinctions to advance their goals, their objectives, use violence against anyone they perceive as an opponent.\u201d Parolin\u2019s comments repeat \u201cthe Nigerian government\u2019s talking points that obfuscate and downplay the persecution of the Catholic faithful and other Christians in Nigeria\u2019s Middle Belt,\u201d Nina Shea, a commissioner of the U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom, told the National Catholic Register, CNA\u2019s sister news partner. The religious freedom report from Aid to the Church in Need found \u201ca severe and escalating wave of violence, largely driven by extremist Islamist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)\u201d during the two-year reporting period. The report affirms that religious affiliation plays an important role in the ongoing violence in Nigeria, alongside other social causes, including poverty, preexisting ethnic and intercommunal violence, and conflict over land and water disputes between Fulani herders and non-Fulani farmers. \u201cAlthough exact figures are difficult to assess, Christians have been the target of extrajudicial killings and abductions by insurgent groups and criminal gangs,\u201d the report states. \u201cIt is also important to note that, although Christians suffer the brunt of extremist violence, the fact that the terrorist groups operate in states with a predominantly Muslim population means that the violence has not only affected Christians but also Muslims,\u201d it continues. This article was originally published by CNA. Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. 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