Jos, Nigeria, Jan 2, 2012 / 17:08 pm
Fallout from the deadly Christmas bombings in Nigeria continues, as some Catholic leaders say they believe the violence is intended to ignite sectarian conflict.
“We continue to ask Christians to be vigilant and aware of the issue of safety when they go to church and even in their own homes,” Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, the vice-president of the Nigerian Bishops’ Conference, said in response to the attacks.
“We have appealed that there be no retaliation and we continue to preach peace, hoping that all of us in Nigeria, Muslims and Christians, we will be able to work and live happily together. This is our position: no violence, no retaliation. We want to live in peace,” he said in a Jan. 2 interview with Vatican Radio.
The attack killed at least 37 and wounded at least 57 Catholics on Christmas Day at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalia, outside the capital of Abuja. The perpetrators attacked from a moving car, throwing improvised explosive devices at worshippers who were leaving the church.