Pope Leo XIV, at the Sunday Angelus, prayed for victims of conflicts in Nigeria, Sudan, Myanmar, Ukraine, and the Middle East.
The Bishop of Rome, on Sunday, remembered in his prayers, the victims of a “terrible massacre” in Benue State, Nigeria.
More than 100 people were killed in Yelwata, in the Guma Local Government Area on the night of the 13th/14th June – most of them internally displaced persons “sheltered by the local Catholic mission”.
Speaking right before delivering the Sunday Angelus prayer, the Head of the Catholic Church prayed for “security, justice, and peace” in Nigeria, adding that he was thinking in particular of the “rural Christian communities of the Benue State who have been relentless victims of violence”.
In reaction to the “wanton killings”, Amnesty International Nigeria on Saturday called on Nigerian authorities to “immediately end the almost daily bloodshed in Benue State and bring the actual perpetrators to justice”.
Amnesty International Nigeria reacted on its official X account: “The Nigerian authorities must immediately end the almost daily bloodshed in Benue state and bring the actual perpetrators to justice.
“The horrifying killing of over 100 people by gunmen that invaded Yelewata; from late Friday into the early hours of Saturday 14 June 2025, shows the security measures government claims to be implementing in the state are not working.
“Many people are still missing, aside dozens injured and left without adequate medical care. Many families were locked up and burnt inside their bedrooms. So many bodies were burnt beyond recognition.
“Amnesty International has been documenting the alarming escalation of attacks across Benue state where gunmen have been on a killing spree with utter impunity. These attacks have been causing massive displacement and may affect food security as majority of the victims are farmers.
“The Nigerian authorities’ failure to stem the violence is costing people’s lives and livelihoods, and without immediate action many more lives may be lost.”
