The Mexican Episcopal Conference has sent a condolence message to the people of Benue State, Nigeria, following the massacre of over 200 people last Saturday in Yelwata, Guma Local Government Area of the state.
In a statement jointly signed by the President of the Conference, Bishop Ramón Castro and Secretary General, Bishop Héctor M. Pérez Villarreal, the Mexican Church leaders condemned the massacre.
They described it as an act of “inhuman violence” that cries out to heaven.
Their statement read, “The Mexican Episcopal Conference expresses its deepest dismay and sorrow over the massacre perpetrated last Friday, June 13, in the state of Benue, Nigeria, where more than two hundred Christian brothers and sisters were brutally murdered while they slept, victims of armed attacks that included arson, bladed weapons, and summary executions.
“These events, marked by inhuman violence, cry out to heaven and move us as a Church to raise a burning prayer for the eternal rest of our brothers and sisters who lost their lives, for the speedy recovery of the wounded, and for the consolation of the families who have been torn apart by pain.
“We unite with our brother bishops in Nigeria and all the People of God who pilgrimage in Africa in this jubilee year of hope, to ask the Lord for the gift of peace and to strongly renew the call for an end to all war, persecution, and religious or ethnic violence that threatens the sacred dignity of every human being.
“We invite all ecclesial communities in Mexico to join in prayer, offering Eucharists and holy hours in memory of the martyrs of Benue, and as a plea for the conversion of hearts hardened by hatred.
“May this time of grace lead us to contemplate with faith and trust the merciful face of Christ, Prince of Peace, so that His love may inspire us to work tirelessly for reconciliation, forgiveness, and true justice among peoples.”
