Pope mourns victims of attack on refugee camp in DR Congo

By Linda Bordoni

Pope Francis said he was close to those affected by the deadly attack on the Mugunga refugee camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo and urged political leaders to work in the service of peace and fraternity.

The Pope's concern and invitation to seek peace and reconciliation came after he learned of the deaths of at least fourteen people, most of them children, killed Friday, May 3 following a or several explosions in a camp for displaced people in the city of Goma, in eastern Congo.

At least 35 other people were reportedly injured in the attack, which a DRC government spokesperson blamed on M23 rebels.

In a telegram addressed to the Bishop of Goma, Willy Nugumbi Ngengele, and signed on his behalf by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope said he learned with sadness of “the cowardly attack perpetrated in the camp of refugees from Mugunga. in DR Congo.

Expressing his closeness to all those “affected by this act of blind hatred which did not spare many children”, the Holy Father declared that he “supports with his prayers the injured and the grieving families, and prays for the rest of all those who lost their lives.”

He strongly condemned “any act of violence aimed at resolving conflicts, violence – he said – of which the poorest and most deprived are always the first victims” and invited the Congolese people to maintain hope.

The Pope concluded by inviting political actors “to work resolutely in the service of peace and fraternity”.

A view of the Mugunga displaced persons camp in DR Congo