Pope Benedict XVI deplored on Sunday the "absurd violence" against
Christians after attacks on churches in Nigeria and the Philippines over
the Christmas holiday.
"It was with great sadness that I learnt
about the attack on a Catholic Church in the Philippines during the
celebrations for Christmas and also against Christian churches in
Nigeria," the pope said.
"The earth is once again stained with
blood as we have seen in other parts of the world," Benedict added in
his Angelus address at The Vatican, as he offered his condolences to the
victims of the "absurd violence".
At least 32 people were killed
and 74 wounded after a series of Christmas Eve bomb blasts in the
troubled Nigerian city of Jos on Friday evening. Many of the victims
were doing their Christmas shopping at the time and a church was also
targeted.
On the same night, suspected members of an Islamist sect
that launched an uprising last year attacked three churches in northern
Nigeria, leaving six people dead and one of the churches burnt.
Six
people were also wounded on Saturday when a bomb went off in a church
during Christmas Day mass on the southern Philippine island of Jolo
which is known as a hotbed of Islamic extremism.
SIC: AFP/INT'L