“Our Church is wounded, but she is standing”: Cardinal Testifies about Terrorism, Faith in Burkina Faso

“Catholic churches and places of worship have been burned, desecrated, and looted,” the Cardinal said, adding, “Priests, women and men Religious, Catechists, and lay faithful have been murdered, some during the celebration of the Eucharist, others while traveling for pastoral missions, and still others simply for professing their faith.”

“Many Christian villages have been emptied,” he continued, noting that the faithful in Burkina Faso are always in flight for their lives. 

Some, he said, live in hiding in the bush, while others are internally displaced in parishes or urban areas that are “somewhat more secure”.

Cardinal Ouédraogo made it clear that despite the trauma and disruption, the Church remains a beacon of hope for many. 

The faithful, he said, continue to gather, when and where possible, for Mass, catechesis, and prayer, even if it means doing so in secret.

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“In the midst of destruction, there is light. The Church in Burkina Faso is still alive. She evangelizes. She serves. She celebrates the sacraments, even in the shadow of death,” he said.

The Catholic Church leader referred to the murdered Priests and faithful in Burkina Faso as “martyrs of our time,” saying their blood is “the seed of new Christians,” just as it was for the early Church.

“I think of the Priest who was executed while giving communion. I think of the young Catechist who was burned alive for refusing to deny Christ. These are not simply tragedies. They are testimonies of faith that cry out to the heavens,” he lamented.

Cardinal Ouédraogo also offered an analysis of the roots of the conflict, which he insisted is not a clash of religions but a complex crisis with geopolitical and economic dimensions.

“Let me be very clear.This is not a religious war,” he said, adding, “Religion is being used as a mask. The real motives are political, economic, ethnic, and geostrategic. The Sahel is rich in gold, phosphate, and other resources. It has become the theater of rivalry between world powers, criminal networks, and traffickers of arms and humans.”

He called on the international community to resist simplistic narratives and to hold accountable those who fuel the violence behind the scenes.

“The people are pawns in a much larger game. Our youth are being manipulated and radicalized. Whole communities are caught in the crossfire of forces beyond their understanding,” Cardinal Ouédraogo said.

The Cardinal emphasized the spiritual resilience of the people of Burkina Faso, noting that despite hunger, trauma, and fear, the people of God continue to hope.

“I have seen women who have lost husbands and children still sing the Magnificat. I have seen children orphaned by terrorism kneel to pray the rosary. This is a Church that weeps, but also believes. A Church that has lost much, but holds on to Christ,” the Burkinabe Cardinal said.

He acknowledged the support already extended by the Universal Church, especially from the Holy See, Religious Orders, and Caritas networks. But he called for deeper solidarity.

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“We are members of the same Body of Christ. When one part suffers, all suffer. When a hand is wounded, the entire body feels the pain. Do not forget us. Speak of us in your homilies, in your parishes, in your media. Pray for us and with us,” the Cardinal said.

He invited Bishops' conferences and Religious Congregations to consider partnerships and “twinnings” with Dioceses in Burkina Faso, to provide both material and spiritual accompaniment.

“Burkina Faso is bleeding, but we still believe. And as long as we believe, there is hope. May our shared suffering lead us to deeper fraternity, greater courage, and more authentic faith,” Cardinal Ouédraogo said.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.