Paul KeenanPriests, nun still missing after a month
The Catholic bishops of Cameroon have called for prayers for the safe return of two priests and a nun kidnapped in the country last month.
Nothing has been heard of Italian Frs Don Gianantonio Allegri and Don Giampaolo Marta, and Canadian Sister Gilberte Bussier since their April 4 abduction from the Diocese of Maroua-Mokolo in the north of the country.
Condemning all attacks on members of the Church, the bishops said: “We invite all Christian communities to organise prayers for the speedy and unconditional release of these kidnapped missionaries. Under such circumstances, prayers remain our unique and effective arm."
The location of the most recent incident has led blame being levelled at the militant group Boko Haram, which has a history of cross-border incursions from Nigeria. On May 5 a policeman in Kousseri was shot dead as Boko Haram gunmen staged a raid to free one their colleagues detained there. Previously, late in 2013, the group kidnapped a French priest, Fr Georges Vandenbeusch, from Cameroon, and moved him into Nigeria before his subsequent release nearly two months later.