Burkina Faso: Pope prays for
victims after church attack
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| Anti-terrorist operations in capital city of Ougadougou (AFP) |
Six people are dead after an attack on a Protestant church
in Burkina Faso on Sunday. Pope Francis has expressed his sorrow and offered
prayers for the victims and their families.
Vatican News
Six people died in the attack on a Protestant church in
Burkina Faso on Sunday in Silgadji, in the north of the country, just as the
Sunday service was concluding. According to security sources, “unidentified
armed individuals” arrived on motorcycles, shooting and killing six people,
including the pastor, Pierre Ouedraogo, and two of his sons.
The prayer of Pope Francis
The ad interim Director of the Holy See Press Office,
Alessandro Gisotti, told Vatican News: "The Holy Father has learned with
sorrow the news of a new attack on a church in Burkina Faso” and that he is
praying “for the victims and their families and the entire Christian community
in the country”.
From tolerance to violence
The West African nation of Burkina Faso has a history of
religious tolerance, and this is the first such attack on a place of worship in
the country. Around 60% of the population is Muslim, and about 25% is
Christian. Episodes of sectarian violence have increased in recent months.
Since 2016, over 200 attacks by armed groups on villages, schools and
hospitals, have forced thousands of people to abandon their homes. The United
Nations estimates that over a million people are now in need of humanitarian
aid.
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