Pope Leo XIV has offered heartfelt prayers for the victims of a deadly attack that claimed hundreds of lives in rural Christian communities in Nigeria’s Benue State.
The spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church expressed deep sorrow over the incident, which he described as a “terrible massacre.”
The Pope’s message was shared via the official X handle of Vatican News, captioned, “Pope Leo prays for the victims of a ‘terrible massacre’ in Benue State, Nigeria.”
According to the report, Pope Leo stated that “Around 200 people were ‘brutally killed’ in Yelwata, in the Guma Local Government Area on the night of the 13th/14th June,” noting that many of the victims were internally displaced persons “sheltered by the local Catholic mission.”
Delivering the message before the Sunday Angelus prayer, the Pope appealed for “security, justice, and peace” in Nigeria.
He added that his thoughts were with “the rural Christian communities of the Benue State who have been relentless victims of violence.”
In reaction to the incident, Amnesty International Nigeria issued a statement on Saturday urging the Nigerian government to act swiftly.
The organization called on authorities to “immediately end the almost daily bloodshed in Benue State and bring the actual perpetrators to Justice.”
