Pope Leo has offered prayers for the victims of the recent massacre in Benue State, where an estimated 200 people were reportedly killed in an attack on rural communities.
Speaking before the Sunday Angelus prayer, the Pope described the incident as especially devastating, pointing out that many of those killed were internally displaced persons who had been taking refuge at a Catholic mission in Yelwata, Guma Local Government Area.
“On the night of the 13th/14th June, in the town of Yelwata in the Guma Local Government Area in Benue State in Nigeria, a terrible massacre occurred in which around 200 people were killed with extreme cruelty. Most of whom were internally displaced persons hosted by the local Catholic mission,” the Pope said. He expressed deep concern for the situation in Nigeria and prayed for peace and stability in the country. He also highlighted the continued vulnerability of rural Christian communities in Benue.
“I pray that security, justice, and peace will prevail in Nigeria, a beloved country so affected by various forms of violence. And I pray in a special way for the rural Christian communities in Benue State, who have been unceasingly the victims of violence,” he added. During the Angelus address, Pope Leo also remembered those affected by ongoing conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar, Ukraine, and the Middle East.
