Bishops of Ivory Coast
(Photo courtesy of Ivorian Conference of Catholic Bishops) The bishops of Ivory Coast have described themselves as “shocked” by the March 13 terrorist attack on the beach resort of Grand-Bassam.
The number of people killed by the Al Qaida assault has risen to 19, according to authorities. These include 11 Ivorians, a Nigerian, four French, one German, one Macedonian and one Lebanese.
These victims, according to Economy Minister Bruno Koné, were a mixture of “Muslims and Christians, wealthy individuals and ordinary citizens who were trying to make a living on the beach”.
In a statement signed by Agboville’s Bishop Alexis Touabli Youlo, president of the country’s bishops’ conference, the bishops said they were “shocked by this new manifestation of deadly violence”.
Praising the prompt reactions of the security and rescue services as well as the government, and thanking those volunteers who had sought to help, the bishops ended their statement by expressing closeness to the victims’ families and the injured, and praying for peace in the country.
Lahore terrorists ‘must face justice’
Pakistan’s bishops have called for the perpetrators of a March 15, 2015 attack in Lahore to be brought to justice.
In a statement from the national commission for Justice and Peace, the bishops said Pakistan’s Christian community “still mourns the loss of its loved ones, whose courage and sacrifice saved the lives of many innocent worshippers in two churches”. Two explosions had killed 21 people and injured 80.
The commission said it hoped for “a proper investigation”, and calling on the government to conduct such an investigation, expressed disappointment in how, in the aftermath of the attacks, law enforcement authorities had focused only on the lynching of two alleged terrorist accomplices. The lynchings and the attacks needed to be properly investigated, they said.