ROME — Pope Francis “forcefully” condemned a terrorist attack at a camp for internally displaced persons in the DR Congo, which claimed the lives of at least 58 people.
Pope Francis “forcefully condemns this hateful and barbaric act, which is a source of great suffering and desolation for the country,” reads a Vatican telegram Saturday bearing the signature of Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
In the telegram the pope notes “with dismay” that the majority of the casualties of Tuesday night’s attack were women and children, while he “asks the Father of all mercy to welcome in his peace and light those who have died and to give comfort to those who mourn their loss.”
The pontiff also “implores the divine gifts of healing and consolation on the wounded and the mourners to whom he expresses his spiritual closeness and deep sympathy.”
“May the Lord himself give courage and strength to the bereaved families, as well as to all those who contribute to rescuing the victims,” he asks.
The attack took place in Savo, Ituri Province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN said Thursday, and was reportedly carried out by Coopérative pour le dévelopement du Congo (CODECO) militias — an association of Lendu groups.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres similarly condemned the attack, noting that the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) had deployed a patrol to the site that exchanged fire with the assailants.
The Secretary-General “expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a swift recovery to the injured,” Guterres’ spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement. “He calls on the Congolese authorities to investigate these incidents and bring those responsible to justice, noting the reprehensible nature of these attacks on a site where civilians who had already been displaced by conflict had sought protection and humanitarian assistance.”
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