Holy See condemns church attacks in Africa

(Vatican Radio) The head of the Holy Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, condemned Sunday’s church attacks in Nigeria and Kenya.


The first attack in Nigeria targeted a section of Bayero University's campus in the city of Kano where churches hold Sunday services, with gunmen killing at least 16 people and wounding at least 22 others. Later, gunmen open fire at a Church of Christ chapel, killing five people.


The attacks are blamed on the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram, which wants to introduce strict Sharia law in the country. 


Meanwhile, Al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militants from Somalia are blamed for a grenade attack on a church in Nairobi, Kenya. One person died and 15 people were wounded.


Father Lombardi called the terrorist attacks “horrific” and “dispicable”. He also called on the local population not to yield to the temptations of hate. He expressed the Holy See’s closeness to the communities suffering from what he called “hideous violence”, which they experience as they “peacefully celebrate a faith which proclaims love and peace for all.”