CV NEWS FEED // A global organization for helping persecuted Christians has provided more information about the deadly February 25 attack on a Catholic church in Burkina Faso.
Open Doors reported in an emailed press release that field partners obtained more information about the jihadist attack from Abbot Jean-Pierre Sawadogo, vicar-general of the Diocese of Dori. As reported by CatholicVote, Sawadogo had released a statement shortly after the attack, sorrowfully announcing the death of 15 Catholics.
In his updated statement, Sawadogo shared that the attack began at 8 a.m., when armed men arrived on motorcycles at a small chapel and opened fire. He added that the jihadists only targeted the men gathered there.
“Thirteen died on the spot, two were seriously injured,” Sawadogo said, according to Open Doors. “They succumbed to their injuries once transported to the clinic. A little boy who was sitting by his dad’s side was also killed. The only two men who survived were those sitting with the women because they are part of the choir.”
“After their dirty job, the jihadists went back on their motorcycles, leaving the survivors in shock,” Sawadogo continued.
Open Doors’ local contacts shared prayer requests, asking Catholics to pray not only for the victims and survivors of the attack but also for the jihadists.
“Please pray for the attackers, pray that they will meet Jesus and repent of these wicked attacks,” the contacts said. “May this incident not be in vain and pray that God will use it to grow and strengthen the Church in northern Burkina Faso.”
According to Open Doors, violence in the country has grown following the departure of French troops last year. Currently, at least 2 million citizens have been internally displaced, while at least 800,000 people “are effectively living under a militant Islamist group siege.”
A 2022 U.S. report on international religious freedom found that roughly 64% of the population is Muslim, while Catholics make up about 20%. Open Doors reported that Christians and less radical Muslims have largely been singled out as the targets of jihadist attacks.
