The International Society for Civil Rights and Rule of Law, Intersociety, has spoken out against Nigeria not being included in Pope Leo’s ongoing visit to some African countries.
The organization called the development a major oversight.
Intersociety said in a statement that they were sad that the visit did not include “Super Catholic/Christian States: Congo DRC, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Kenya.”
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Head of Intersociety; Chidinma Evangeline Udegbunam, Head of the Department of Campaign and Publicity; Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Head of the Department of Civil Liberties and Rule of Law; and Engr. Ekene Bede Umeagu, Head of the Department of International Freedom of Religion and Worship all signed the statement.
It said that the development brings to light other important missing points and changes, such as “demanding the appointment of four Cardinal-Electors for Uganda and Kenya (two each), two each for Cameroon, Angola, and Tanzania; and three each for Congo DRC and Nigeria to promote, strengthen, and save Africa’s largest but severely threatened Catholicism and Christianity.”
The rights group said they hoped that Pope Leo’s message of world peace would not mean “peace of the Christian graveyard, Jews, and other peaceful religions and religious minorities,” especially since global Islamic jihadists have promised to keep targeting Christians and Jews until they are converted or hacked to death.
It said that “more concrete reforms are very strongly and urgently needed to strategically and strongly reposition the Mother Church as the common umbrella and ‘General Overseer of the global Christendom.'”
“Charity Must Begin at Home Reforms” are some of the changes that need to be made. For example, Cardinal Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, should either sit up or resign, just like Archbishop Claudio Dalla Zuanna of Mozambique’s Archdiocese of Beira did on April 10, 2026, and Archbishop Pascalis Bruno Sukur did when he turned down an early 2026 appointment by Pope Leo XIV as a cardinal and chose to stay in his role as Bishop of Bogor in Indonesia.
Exclusion of Africa’s Five Super Catholic States from the Pope’s First Visit: We noticed a major flaw in the Holy Father’s African visit, which only included Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea. It did not include the super Catholic/Christian countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, which together have an estimated 141 million Catholics, as well as Ethiopia, which is Africa’s third-largest Christian state with 77 million Catholics.
Out of the four countries that the pope was supposed to visit, only Angola has a large Catholic population, with about 10 million Catholics. Cameroon has 9 million Catholics, and Equatorial Guinea has 1.4 million.
Our careful study of the current patterns and trends of genocidal attacks by Islamic jihadists against Christians in Africa has clearly shown that Catholics and the general Christian population in Angola and Equatorial Guinea face fewer jihadist threats and attacks than in the five major Catholic countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, as well as in Ethiopia and other countries that support them.
According to available records, Algeria has about 100,000 Christians, but only 4,200 of them are Catholics. The country has a serving Cardinal and is the largest landmass country in Africa, covering 2.382 million square kilometers.
“Algeria is only included in the papal visit because it is the birthplace of the Biblical Saint Augustine.
“We don’t hold any grudges against the choice of the four African countries. However, the Pope should have visited the five most threatened and attacked African countries.
The five affected African Super Catholic States were Congo DRC (with an estimated 55 million Catholics and 115 million Christians), Nigeria (with 30 million to 35 million Catholics and 113 million Christians), Tanzania (with 19 million Catholics and 31 million Christians), Uganda (with 18 million Catholics and 30 million Christians), and Kenya (with 18 million Catholics and 40 million Christians). This adds up to 141 million Catholics and 329 million Christians. Ethiopia, which has an estimated 77 million Christians, is also one of Africa’s oldest Christian countries.
In fact, these six African countries should have been scheduled as “First Among Equals” on Pope Leo XIV’s first visit to Africa. This visit is very important and urgent because it will encourage and strengthen the Christian faith of people living in dangerous places like Nigeria, Congo DRC, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. If extreme care is not taken, local and ISIS and ISIL-linked Islamic jihadists will wipe out their large Catholic and other Christian populations in the next 50-100 years, and their descendants will no longer have any traces of Christianity or Christian names in their family trees.
“Another important thing that was missing was the unfair way that Catholic Cardinals were chosen in Africa, especially in countries with a lot of Catholics. These countries have been having trouble getting enough “Cardinal-Electors,” which are people under 80 who can vote in papal conclaves and other cardinal decisions.
“We are asking for the appointment of two new Cardinal-Electors for Nigeria. They should come from the North-East of the country, especially from Catholic Dioceses in Taraba State and Benue State.
“Based on what we’ve found recently, there are very brave and bold Catholic Bishops in the area who have stood up to the attacks of the Jihadist Fulani and their allies, Boko Haram and Fulani Bandits. These attacks have killed thousands of Catholic members and destroyed hundreds of churches, especially since 2015.
Bishop Anagbe was targeted for speaking out against the US in March 2025. Fulani Jihadists burned down his village and killed dozens of his family members. More than 90,000 Catholics have had to leave their homes, and hundreds have died in Wukari Diocese since 2024. Dozens of church parishes have been destroyed or looted. The same thing has happened in Makurdi Diocese, where hundreds have died and dozens of parishes have been destroyed or looted.
“There are 60 Catholic dioceses in Nigeria, including 59 full-fledged dioceses and a suffragan in Ibadan, Oyo State. 27 of them are currently dying and 17 are just 17 inches away from being empty.”
