A new tragedy shook the Christian community in Nigeria on the night of June 13-14. At least 200 Christians were brutally murdered by a jihadist group in the town of Yelewata, in the state of Benuein the center of the country. The victims were sheltering in a displaced persons center run by a Catholic mission, having previously fled violence from extremist groups such as Boko Haram.
According to witnesses, the radicals burst in at night rampaging through the center with unbridled violence. "They were asleep, many were children and women," stated a local volunteer who managed to escape.
This attack is not an isolated event. In the last two months, hundreds of Christians have lost their lives in similar actions in different parts of the country. In Benue State itself, at least 500 Christians have been killed in the last five years, amid a rising tide of religious and ethnic violence.
International silence and the Pope's reaction
Christian leaders have condemned the massacre and demanded urgent measures from the Nigerian authorities to protect the civilian population. Meanwhile, international silence continues to be an open wound for the victims and their communities.
During the Angelus prayer on June 15, Pope Benedict XVI said the following Leo XIV launched a strong message against the growing wave of violence in the world, with special attention to the attacks suffered by Christian communities. Before thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pontiff expressed his deep sorrow for the massacre ""An "atrocious massacre has taken place, with the violent death of some two hundred people, mostly internally displaced persons welcomed by the local Church," the Pope lamented.
He also asked for prayers for stability and reconciliation in Nigeria, "a beloved country hit by multiple forms of violence", and in particular for the rural Christian communities of Benue, "constant victims of cruel attacks".
