Shafaqna English- Pope Leo called for the release of students and priests kidnapped in recent days in Nigeria and Cameroon.
After Mass on the Solemnity of Christ the King in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo has expressed his “immense sadness” over the recent kidnappings of priests, students and members of the Christian faithful in Nigeria and Cameroon, and urged authorities to ensure their liberation.
Some 315 students and teachers were kidnapped on Friday at the St Mary High School in Nigeria’s Niger state. That same week, in Ndop, Cameroon, six Catholic priests from the Archdiocese of Bamenda were kidnapped. In addition, in the municipality of Jakiri, in the nearby Bui division, a Baptist pastor was abducted.
Finally, the Pope invited everyone to pray that church schools might never be the target of violence: “Let us pray for these brothers and sisters of ours, that churches and schools may always and everywhere remain places of safety and hope.”
Sources: Vatican News