Pope Leo lamented a bengers, conveying prayers for peace, justice in Nigeria

Pope Leo has expressed sadness and solidarity with the people of Nigeria after the latest massacre in the state of Benue, where nearly 200 people were reportedly killed in brutal attacks on rural communities.

Speaking in front of Angelus’s prayer on Sunday, the Pope described the violence was very terrible, noting that many of them were killed were vulnerable, after being transferred from the previous conflict. They were reported to take shelter on the Catholic mission in Yelwata, a community in the Guma Regional Government.

The Pope tells the bleak details with compassion: “On the night of June 13/14, in the city of Yelwata in the Guma Regional Government in the state of Benue in Nigeria. A terrible massacre occurred where around 200 people were killed with extreme cruelty.

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Pope Leo prayed for the souls of the victims and called for divine interventions in the deteriorating Nigerian security crisis. He also underlined the fate of the Christian community in Benue, which, he said, continued to be the target of violence.

“I pray that security, justice, and peace will win in Nigeria, a beloved country that is so influenced by various forms of violence,” the Pope said. “And I pray in a special way for the Rural Christian Community in the State of Benue, which has been a victim of violence.”

Pope’s statement came in the midst of international concerns over the increasing insecurity of all Nigeria, especially in the middle belt area where inter-communal violence and rebels continue to claim life with a worrying frequency.

During Angelus’s speech, Pope Leo also remembered the victims of the ongoing conflict in Sudan, Myanmar, Ukraine, and the Middle East, offering a message of global solidarity and new calls for peace in all problems with problems.

When Nigeria wrestled with another tragedy, the Pope’s message functioned well as a spiritual balm and request for justice, urged the world not to close his eyes to the suffering of vulnerable communities.