Pope Francis sent his condolences Tuesday to the victims of a bomb attack on a Pentecostal church in eastern Congo, an attack claimed by Islamic militants two weeks before the pope’s arrival in the country.
Authorities say Sunday’s shelling in Kasindi, a town in North Kivu province, killed at least 14 people and injured more than 60. The Islamic State group and its Aamaq news outlet said the militants planted a explosive device inside the church and detonated it while people were praying.
Francis addressed the telegram of condolences to the Rev. Andre Bokundoa-Bo-Likabe, whom the Vatican identified as president of the Church of Christ in the Congo.
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According to the telegram, Francis expressed “his compassion and closeness to all the families most affected by this tragedy” and called for peace.
Pope Francis sent his condolences to the victims of a bombing raid in the Congo that killed 14 people.
(Grzegorz Galazka/Grzegorz Galazka Archive/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
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Francis is scheduled to arrive in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, on January 31 for a three-day visit. When originally scheduled for July, the trip was supposed to include a stop in Goma, the capital of North Kivu.
The Vatican canceled that leg of the trip, amid a new wave of attacks in parts of North Kivu. Violence has plagued eastern Congo for decades as more than 120 armed groups and self-defense militias battle for land and power. Nearly 6 million people are internally displaced and hundreds of thousands face extreme food insecurity, according to the United Nations.
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Although he will not travel to Goma, Francis will meet with some eastern residents and victims of the conflict in Kinshasa.
