Hantoukoura, 04 December, 2019 / 12:37 am (ACI Africa).
Following the Sunday attack on a Protestant church in Burkina Faso that left 14 people dead and several others injured, the Catholic Church in the West African nation has expressed its closeness with the victims of the attack and their families, praying for lasting peace in the country.
“It is with deep sadness that the Catholic Church learned of the death of fourteen Protestant worshippers, including "children", who were killed on Sunday, December 1, 2019, during an attack on their place of worship in Hantoukoura, Foutouri Council, during a religious service,” the Communication officer for the Bishops’ Conference of Burkina Faso and Niger Fr. Paul Dah said in a statement sent to ACI Africa Monday, December 2.
“Deeply saddened by this unfortunate incident, the Church associates herself with the sorrow of the Federation of Evangelical Churches and Missions of Burkina Faso. She sends her sincere condolences and her communion of prayer for the repose of the soul of the deceased faithful and the comfort of all those who are aggrieved by these killings,” Fr. Dah stated.
In the statement, the Burkinabe cleric expressed the hope that the just started Advent season will offer the people of Burkina Faso “the opportunity to build peace together in our country, in our sub-region and in the world.”
According to a statement from the governor of the Fada N'Gourma region in the east where the attack occurred, “a dozen heavily armed individuals, on motorcycles, executed in cold blood Christians, including the pastor of the church and children; several people were injured, some of them seriously.”
