The attack on Essakane village that is in what is described as “three borders” zone near the borders of Burkina Faso with Mali and Niger was confirmed by the Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Dori, Fr. Jean-Pierre Sawadogo.
In a statement availed to the media, Fr. Sawadogo confirmed the killing of 15 Catholic worshippers and the injury of two others; he appealed for prayers for the souls of those who, he said, “died in faith”. He also appealed for spiritual solidarity with all those in need of healing and consolation.
In his February 26 telegram of condolences addressed to the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Burkina Faso and Niger (CEBN), Bishop Laurent Birfuoré Dabiré of Dori Diocese, the Holy Father expresses his closeness and pain with the victims of the attack.
“Pope Francis has learned with deep affliction the tragic terrorist attack that happened in a Catholic church in Essakane on February 25, 2024, and the loss of human lives that it caused,” the telegram that was signed by the Secretary of State, Pietro Cardinal Parolin, reads in part.
The telegram message continues, “His holiness also expresses his sadness to the Muslim community for the attack on a mosque in Natiaboani. He prays for the rest of the deceased people, trusting them to the mercy of God, as well as for the healing of the wounded.”
The Holy Father expresses his solidarity “with the mourning of the families, showing them his closeness and his pain”, and goes on to ask “the lord to bring strength and consolation to all the people affected by these damages. He invokes on the daughters and sons of Burkina Faso, as well as on the entire nation, the abundance of divine blessings.”
He cautions against vengeful thoughts, saying “that hatred is not the solution to conflicts.”
Last year, Bishop Dabiré of Dori Diocese said that in Burkina Faso, terror is directed against all residents of the country “who do not profess the same Islam as the jihadists, including Muslims.”
In an interview with the Pontifical charity foundation, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, Bishop Birfuoré expressed his solidarity with the people of God in the country, who no longer attend Holy Mass for fear of jihadist attacks.
The Burkinabe Catholic Bishop confirmed reports that 50 percent of Burkina Faso is occupied by terrorists, and many Catholic Parishes have been left abandoned as their members stay away for fear of attacks.
