6 months ago
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Pope Leo XIV called Sunday (November 23, 2025) for the merchandise of over 300 hostages taken from a Catholic school successful 1 of the largest wide kidnappings successful Nigeria.
"I learned with immense sadness the quality of the kidnappings of priests, faithful, and students successful Nigeria and Cameroon," helium said.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) connected Saturday said gunmen had kidnapped much than 300 students and teachers successful raids connected 2 schools successful the country.
"I marque a heartfelt entreaty for the contiguous merchandise of the hostages," Leo said, expressing his "deep sorrow, particularly for the galore young boys and girls kidnapped and for their anguished families".
"Let america commune for these brothers and sisters of ours and that churches and schools whitethorn ever and everyplace stay places of information and hope," helium said astatine the extremity of the Angelus prayer.
Gunmen connected Monday stormed a secondary schoolhouse successful Kebbi state, abducting 25 girls. That was followed by an aboriginal Friday raid connected St Mary's co-education schoolhouse successful Niger state.
The 2 abduction operations and an onslaught connected a religion successful the westbound of the country, successful which 2 radical were killed and dozens abducted, came arsenic US President Donald Trump threatened subject enactment implicit what helium called the persecution of Christians by extremist Islamists successful Nigeria.
Nigeria is inactive scarred by the kidnapping of astir 300 girls by Boko Haram jihadists astatine Chibok successful northeastern Borno authorities much than a decennary ago. Some of those girls are inactive missing.
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