Racism: Nigerian priest leaves German parish after receiving death threat

Priest Patrick Asomugha faced racist remarks,
break-ins and had his tires slashed in the small
town where he lived in Germany. The death threat
was the final straw, making it impossible for him
to do his job, he says.
A Nigerian parish priest was forced to leave his
post as the head of a parish in western Germany
out of concerns for his safety, the parish and
local church officials announced on Friday.
The pastor, Patrick Asomugha, and the diocese of
Speyer made the decision to remove him after he
received a death threat last month.
“Concerns for the safety and wellbeing of pastor
Asomugha makes this step unavoidable,” Andreas
Sturm, vicar general for the Speyer diocese’s
bishop, said in a statement. “It would be
irresponsible to continue exposing pastor
Asomugha to the threat.”

Racist remarks in church
Asomugha took over as the head of a parish in
Queidersbach, a small municipality in western
Germany near the city of Kaiserslautern, in 2017.
The trouble began last year after unknown
suspects broke into the parish house where he
lived. In both instances, there was considerable
damage to his property.
Parishioners became more hostile, with people
reportedly uttering racist abuse during church
services. Local public broadcaster SWR reported
in July last year that parents were overheard
saying: “I won’t let my child be baptized by a black
man.”
“I’m not taking anything from those dirty black
hands,” one parishioner is reported to have said
as Asomugha held communion. At the time, the
diocese in Speyer declined to comment on
specific cases.
Last year, someone slashed the tires of
Asomugha’s car. The abuse grew worse,
culminating in a death threat posted on the
pastor’s garage door. Two days later, unknown
suspects shattered bottles believed to be filled
with alcohol in the entryway into parish house
where Asomugha lives.

‘Impossible to lead normal parish
life’
The death threat was the final straw. Asomugha
said that the threats made it impossible to
continue his work.
“Under these circumstances, I can no longer fulfil
my duties as a pastor in Queidersbach,”
Asomugha said in a statement.
According to the church, he’d repeatedly called for
reconciliation and peace within the parish and the
wider community. In October, the church in
Queidersbach held a “solidarity mass” to support
Asomugha. Around 600 people attended the
service to stand up to racism in their community.
Despite the service, the abuse continued and
escalated, underscoring the danger he faced if he
were to stay.
“The attacks against my person make it almost
impossible to lead a normal parish life in
Queidersbach,” Asomugha said.
Asomugha will leave his post on Monday, but will
still hold an as-yet-undisclosed position within the
diocese of Speyer.