VATICAN CITY, JULY 5, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Violence is not the way to solve problems, Benedict XVI reiterated today as he condemned a bomb attack in the Philippines.
At least five people were killed and dozens more were wounded when an improvised bomb was set off outside the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Cotabato city as Archbishop Orlando Quevedo celebrated Sunday morning Mass.
«As I pray to God for the victims of this ignoble act, I raise up my voice to condemn once again recourse to violence, which never constitutes a worthy way to solve problems,» the Pope said after he had prayed the midday Angelus with crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
Six soldiers were among the wounded; they were in a van that passed by the cathedral when the device was set off remotely by mobile phone. A military spokesman said investigations were trying to determine if the van was the object of the attack.
Some immediately blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the 12,000-strong separatist Islamic group that has been fighting for greater autonomy in the region for some four decades. A spokesman for the group denied responsibility.
