Dozens feared dead in attack on Catholic church in Nigeria

CNA Staff   By CNA Staff

Nigerian flag / Labrador Photo Video / Shutterstock.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 5, 2022 / 09:13 am (CNA).

Gunmen have killed multiple worshipers Sunday at a Catholic Church in southwestern Nigeria, according to state officials.

Dozens of people, including children, are believed to have been killed, but there was no immediate official confirmation of the death total. A video posted on Twitter propertied to show graphic scenes of the victims inside the church.

The governor of Ondo state, Arakunrin Akeredolu, said the attack took place at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in the town of Owo during a Pentecost Sunday service, the BBC reported. The governor said many of the dead were children.

“I am deeply saddened by the unprovoked attack and killing of innocent people of Owo, worshiping at the St. Francis Catholic Church, Today,” the governor said in a tweet. “The vile & satanic attack is a calculated assault on the peace-loving people of Owo Kingdom who have enjoyed relative peace over the years.”

A state lawmaker, Ogunmolasuyi Oluwole, told the Associated Press the attackers also detonated explosives.

A doctor at a hospital in Owo told Reuters, “Several worshipers were brought in dead.”

This is a developing story.


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9 Comments

  1. Nigerian Christians are facing a full fledged genocide at the hands of Islamic Fascists, and the world doesn’t care, and simply ignores it. Clearly some black lives really do not matter to the Mainstream Media.

  2. Good thing Biden thinks there is no risk of religious persecution in Nigeria worth monitoring. Otherwise it could be a problem there.

  3. Why does it seem like no one cares about the killing of Christians in Nigeria? Why is there no protection for them? Why aren’t the people who do this hunted and punished?

    • The people who did this are Fulani herdsmen, 99 per cent of whom are Muslims. They number 34 million and can be found everywhere from the Atlantic coast of West Africa to Ethiopia.

      To put an end to the violence entails putting an end to Islam among the Fulani. That in turn demands that they be called to Christianity or removed in ways similar to those used against the Cathars.

    • Wait until the overturning of Roe vs Wade to see what happens to Catholics in the U.S. and the reaction of cowards like Cupich and McElroy. It’s like we are being attacked from within and without. Pray my brothers and sisters.

  4. Science as well as faith help us to know how ‘small ‘ and interconnected we are – in the brothehood in The Mother ..havng read how the dust from the Sahara desert blows into S. America in the balancing of the eco system , we can also wonder how sins against life anywhere also invites in the agents of death and destruction, war and violence , lust and greed – esp. through those who have been blinded by Satan about the truth of the dignity and destiny of human life .
    The interconections in these areas being ? willfully denied – the light shared in the powerful homily of the Holy Father on the need to love The Lord to be able to keep the commandments -the 24 Hour Passion meditations , the Flame of Love – adoring the Sacred wounds of our Lord , the indirect light from all such to flow into more hearts to help to love The Lord with His own Love in The Spirit …

    Fathers charged to bring up the children in the discipline and instruction in The Lord (Eph 6 :4 ) – that to include fathers of nations too ..

    The tears of The Lord and of The Mother shed for the slavation of each of us from the moment of their very beginnning as the Immaculate Conception and Incarnation and for every wound of sin and suffering of His children – to be offered up for all involved to help bring forth conversions as is done in the Holy Mass – to help break the walls around the hearts … along with use of other prudent measures as needed , as The Church continues to persevere in using the weapons given in The Mother ..

    • Hey, I don’t know what your comments have to with anything, but I do want to make sure that you know that Muslim terrorists killed Christian Nigerians yet again last Sunday. You would not necessarily know that from the four(!) CNA shorts on this story or the heartfelt condolences offered by the Holy Father. Nevertheless, it is seems pertinent.

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