On Sunday, Fr. Simeon Yampa was celebrating Mass in his parish in the village of Dablo, Burkina Faso, when an armed group broke into the church. The priest was killed along with five other faithful. The terrorists also set fire to the church.
This Monday, funerals were held for all of them.
Through a tweet from the Vatican spokesman, Alessandro Gissoti, the pope expressed his sorrow for this attack and assured that is he praying for the victims and their families.
The UN has also strongly condemned this attack.
FARHAN HAQ
UN Spokesman
“The Secretary-General strongly condemned the attack yesterday on a Catholic Church during Mass in the village of Dablo in the central-north region of Burkina Faso. He expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes speedily recovery to the injured. He recalls the sanctity of all places of worship and hopes that the perpetrators can be swiftly brought to justice.”
Jihadist attacks against parishes and priests are taking place throughout the Sahel area. Additionally, in Burkina Faso, the Salesian missionary Antonio César Fernández was murdered in February during an ambush perpetrated by a Jihadist group.
