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The international community must take action against the persecution of Christians, the Secretary of State for Programs for Persecuted Christians in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a Facebook post on Sunday, following the overnight attack on a Catholic parish in Nigeria by terrorists who executed the parish priest, and a bomb attack on a Protestant church in Congo.
Azbej Tristan wrote that terrorists attacked the local Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in the Nigerian town of Kafin-Koro. According to Vatican News, the perpetrators set the building on fire, and fled the scene before security forces arrived. Father Achi could not get out of the burning church, resulting in his death. His assistant, Father Collins Omeh, was also shot and wounded by the bandits, and remains in the hospital.
The Secretary of State expressed his condolences, stressing that pity is not enough, and that the international community must take action against the persecution of Christians. As a first step, he said that Western politicians should realize that contrary to their claims, dozens of Christians are killed every day “not because of climate change or local fads” but “because they are Christians and because they believe in the name of Jesus Christ,” he wrote.
In the post, Azbej Tristan also expressed his condolences to the victims of Sunday’s bombing at a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo and their relatives. He wrote, “Today is a tragic day. Following the killing of a priest in Nigeria overnight, we have just received news of a bomb attack on a church in Kasindi, in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, during the day. Unconfirmed information indicates that there are several fatalities in the attack. The terrorists detonated the bomb during a baptism.”
At least 10 people were killed in the explosion near the Ugandan border, and 39 others wounded, army spokesman Anthony Mualushay said on Sunday, adding that both tolls were provisional. He said that the attack was likely carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan armed group that has pledged allegiance to ISIS. This was eventually confirmed by the group itself later on Sunday, when they claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Hungarian Secretary of State underlined that the Hungarian government supports African Christians who have been victims of violent terrorist attacks through the Hungary Helps Program. In recent years, together with the Catholic and Protestant churches in Nigeria, it has supported the care of internally displaced persons, medical care for victims of terrorist attacks, the rebuilding of destroyed churches, schools and homes, and scholarships for persecuted Christian youth.
Featured photo via Facebook