On Monday, a group of unidentified gunmen interrupted a Catholic procession in a village near Kongoussi, in Burkina Faso. The attackers reportedly released the children and proceeded to kill four of the adult faithful, before burning a statue of the Virgin Mary.
The attack came a day after the murder of six Catholics, including a priest, in an attack against a Catholic church in Dablo. The Dablo attack was reported to have been committed by between 20 and 30 assailants. After killing the priest and five of the congregation, they burned down the church and looted several businesses before escaping the scene.
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Priest was target of Burkina Faso attack
The Catholic Herald reports that said Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo, archbishop of Ougadougou, said:
“We will not be bogged down by the religious attacks.”
Burkina Faso has experienced an increase in terrorist activity in recent years, some of which haa been from al-Qaeda affiliates. According to a report from Human Rights Watch, tens of thousands of villagers have been displaced as a result of this unstable climate.
Last week, five teachers were killed in an attack and in April four Catholics were killed in another church attack. During April, a Protestant church was also attacked, in an ambush that took the lives of five congregants, including the pastor.
Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims of the Dablo attack. His spokesman Alessandro Gisotti wrote on Twitter:
“The Holy Father learned with sorrow the news of the attack on the church in Dablo, in #BurkinaFaso. He prays for the victims, for their families and for the whole Christian community of the country.”
And today we celebrate...