Manila, Philippines, May 10, 2010 / 23:18 pm
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a leading Catholic pastoral charity, will help rebuild a Philippines cathedral destroyed in a bomb attack last month by an Al Qaeda-linked group.
Santa Isabel Cathedral in the state of Basilan was 70 percent destroyed in a series of April 13 attacks attributed to Abu Sayyaf. Attackers hid a bomb in a motorcycle at the back of the cathedral.
At least 25 members of the Islamist extremist group, dressed as police and soldiers, reportedly carried out the attacks. Another bomb damaged the education department building. Explosive devices placed near a Catholic school and near a judge’s house were safely defused.
At least ten were killed in the attack, including some extremists who clashed with security forces. Bensar Indama, brother of Abu Sayyaf leader Furuju Indama, was among the dead.