Bishop says Boko Haram has destroyed more than 200 churches in northeast Nigeria
Auxiliary Bishop John Maiduguri Bakeni said in a homily on September 16 that more than 200 churches in the Archdiocese of Maiduguri have been destroyed since Boko Haram began its insurgency in 2009. He said Masses there remain full
More than 200 churches have been destroyed in the Archdiocese of Maiduguri, in northeastern Nigeria, since Boko Haram began its insurgency in 2009, the auxiliary bishop of Maiduguri, John Maiduguri Bakeni, said in a homily on September 16. "We survive today as a diocese by the grace of God," he said.
Bakeni pointed to the martyrs, and in particular to Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian, as an example for the faithful who live with gunfire and explosions day after day. "Our churches are full at every Mass," he said.
Resistance amid destruction
Since Boko Haram began its terror campaign in northeastern Nigeria, large numbers of religious buildings have been destroyed and the population has suffered heavily. Attendance at services in the archdiocese has held up, and the faithful there see that as a sign of spiritual strength in the face of danger.
