‘I hope that every form of hate and violence will cease, and that there will no longer be such shameful crimes perpetrated in places of worship, where faithful gather to pray.’
Pope Francis made this appeal at the conclusion of his General Audience of August 9, 2017, in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, noting he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the massacre that took place last Sunday in Nigeria, where innocent people were killed inside a Church.
The attack took place in the Catholic Church of St. Philip in Ozubulu, Anambra State, in southern Nigeria yesterday, Sunday, August 6, 2017. During morning Mass, at least 12 lives were claimed and many wounded among hundreds present. Sources report the cause was organized crime, tied to drugs.
The Holy Father also decried the homicidal violence this morning in the Central African Republic against Christians.
Calling on all those gathered to think of their ‘brothers and sisters’ in Nigeria and the Central African Republic, Pope Francis invited everyone in the Hall to pray a Hail Mary.
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On Zenit’s Web page:
Full Text: https://zenit.org/articles/pope-sends-condolences-for-attack-on-church-in-nigeria/
