More than 50 People Killed in Attack on Nigerian Catholic Church

More than 50 people were killed during Mass on Pentecost Sunday after a group of attackers stormed into St. Francis Catholic Church in the Nigerian city of Owo. According to reports, the gunmen opened fire on worshippers both inside and outside the church and at one point detonated an explosive. Bishop David J. Mallow, chairman of the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace, sent a letter of solidarity to the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, saying that they “join our Holy Father, Pope Francis in commending the souls of the dead to the loving mercy of God and imploring ‘diving healing and consolation’ upon those who are grieving.” 

Bishop Mallow’s full statement can be read here.