More than 40 people have been killed in a Catholic church in Komanda, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As confirmed by the UN mission in the country, the attack was carried out by the armed group ADF, affiliated with ISIS.
The UN has urged the Congolese government to thoroughly investigate the incident and to bring to justice those responsible.
Other countries, such as Italy, have also responded to the massacre, emphasizing that places of worship must be protected and religious freedoms must be guaranteed.
Pope Leo XIV also expressed his condolences. In a telegram, the Pope stated that this tragedy further drives the need to promote the integral human development of the martyred population in the region.
Cardinal Parolin also commented on the situation. Journalists asked him about it on the sidelines of an event related to the Jubilee.
CARD. PIETRO PAROLIN
Vatican Secretary of State
I believe they're called the ADF, these forces that are practically an expression of Islamic jihad, imposing themselves through force and violence. So this is yet another problem in that region, where there are already many conflicts of an ethnic, cultural, and sociopolitical nature. To this is added the religious aspect, which worsens the issue even further.
Pope Francis visited the country in January 2023, as part of a trip that also took him to South Sudan. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pope Francis made a call for peace and reconciliation.
BAM/CA
Trans. CRT
