Pope Francis has sent his condolences to the victims and survivors of a deadly shooting that occurred during Mass on Sunday at a parish in Nigeria.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, expressed the Pope’s sentiments in a message to Bishop Hilary Odili Okeke of Nnewi.
Pope Francis, the message said, was “deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury following the violent attack” in St Philip’s Catholic Church in Ozubulu, a town located in the Nigerian southern state of Anambra.
According to the Nigerian newspaper the Vanguard, witnesses say a gunman entered during an early morning Sunday Mass and opened fire during the prayer of the faithful.
The BBC and other news outlets reported that at least 11 people were killed and as many as 18 others wounded as they attempted to flee the carnage.
While no suspects have been caught, authorities believe the target was a young businessman involved in a drug deal gone wrong.
The Pope extended “heartfelt condolences” to the faithful of the diocese, especially “the families of the deceased and all those affected by this tragedy”.
Meanwhile, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a bishop has asked young Catholics to protect their priests after two of them were abducted at gunpoint.
Bishop Melchisédech Sikuli Paluku of Butembo-Beni, in the lawless eastern edge of the Congo, said: “Do not be like Cain who asked, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’
“Let us protect each other. At this very moment, I urge young people to keep their priests safe,” Bishop Sikuli said.
Excommunication ‘could be a tool to fight the mafia’
A Vatican consultation group will consider initiatives to bolster the fight against corruption and organised crime, including looking at the possibility of excommunicating members of the Mafia and other criminal organisations.
The Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development published a paper highlighting anti-corruption proposals that came out of the Vatican’s first “International Debate on Corruption”.
Among the proposals made by the consultation group was the “development of a global response – through bishops’ conferences and local churches” and “the excommunication of the Mafia and other similar criminal organisations and … the prospect of excommunication for corruption”.
Popes and bishops, especially in Italy, have long warned members of the Mafia that by committing grave sins, they have, in effect, excommunicated themselves from the Church.
In a June 2014 visit to Sibari, in Italy’s Calabria region, Pope Francis said that “those who follow the path of evil, like the mafiosi do, are not in communion with God; they are excommunicated.”
‘Big heart’ cardinal dies at 83
Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, whom Pope Francis described as one of the Archdiocese of Milan’s “most illustrious sons and one of its most loving and beloved pastors”, has died aged 83.
The former Archbishop of Milan and prolific writer on family and bioethical issues was described by Italian media as being “small in stature, but big in heart”. The Pope said he was an “attentive” and “totally dedicated” pastor.
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.