2012-07-02 L’Osservatore Romano
Nairobi, 2. The Christian communities in Africa are the target of terrorist violence by various Islamic Fundamentalist Groups that in recent months have emphasized their strategy of attacking Churches. After the recent massacres in Nigeria, claimed by Boko Haram, yesterday it was Kenya torn apart again by two simultaneous attacks that caused 17 deaths and over 50 injures in two churches in the Northern town of Garissa, near the border with Somalia. The Catholic Cathedral was hit by a grenade explosion that caused three injuries and the bloodiest attack was on a small church of the African Inland Independent Church. Fr Federico Lombardi, Director of the Holy See Press Office, spoke of  “a horrible and very worrying deed”. Speaking at Vatican Radio he said: “it seems that among the terrorist groups attacking Christians gathered for Sunday worship has become a method considered particularly effective in spreading hatred and fear”. According to Fr Lombardi: “the cowardice of violence against unarmed people gathered peacefully in prayer is beyond description. We need to reaffirm and strongly defend Christians' religious freedom”.