Pope Leo referred to the dozens of people killed Sunday night/Monday morning at a Catholic church in Democratic Republic of Congo as "martyrs" and prayed that their blood would be "a seed of peace, reconciliation, fraternity, and love for all the Congolese people."
The Holy Father sent a message of condolences through the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to Archbishop Fulgence Muteba Mugalu, President of the Congolese Bishops’ Conference.
"This tragedy calls us even more urgently to work for the integral human development of the martyred population of that region," the Pope said.
The northeastern regions of the DRC have long been the site of conflict. Earlier this year, some 70 people were killed at a Protestant church.
Concluding the telegram, Pope Leo XIV imparts his apostolic blessing upon the Parish of Blessed Anuarite, the mourning families, the faithful of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the entire nation.
DRC tragedy
According to details from Aid to the Church in Need, at least 40 people, including many children, were killed in the massacre, which happened in Komanda, Ituri, in the very early hours of Monday morning.
The attack was carried out by militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an affiliate of Islamic State.
Fr. Marcelo Oliveira, a Comboni, missionary who has been in the DRC for many years, told ACN that the victims were part of a movement called Eucharistic Crusade and were participating in a prayer vigil.
“The attack occurred at around 1 o’clock in the morning. The rebels entered the church and murdered a large number of children, both inside the church building and in the compound,” he said in a message sent to the Portuguese office of ACN.
