{"id":1185,"date":"2012-09-28T08:08:00","date_gmt":"2012-09-28T08:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/us-bishops-offer-condolences-support-after-nigeria-church-bombing\/"},"modified":"2012-09-28T08:08:00","modified_gmt":"2012-09-28T08:08:00","slug":"us-bishops-offer-condolences-support-after-nigeria-church-bombing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/09\/us-bishops-offer-condolences-support-after-nigeria-church-bombing\/","title":{"rendered":"US bishops offer condolences, support after Nigeria church bombing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Washington D.C., Sep 28, 2012 \/ 02:08 am (CNA<\/a>).- Leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops offered their support to the Church in Nigeria after a suicide car bomber attacked a cathedral in the northern region of the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\u201cOur thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost loved ones in this attack and with the scores of others who were wounded,\u201d said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, who chairs the conference\u2019s Committee on International Justice and Peace.<\/p>\n

\tThe clergymen expressed their sympathy over a recent suicide bombing in a Sept. 25 letter to Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, president of the Catholic Bishops\u2019 Conference of Nigeria.<\/p>\n

\tOn the morning of Sept. 13, a suicide car bomber attacked St. John\u2019s Cathedral in Bauchi, a city in northern Nigeria, leaving at least two people dead and 45 injured, many of them seriously.<\/p>\n

\tWhile no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the city of Bauchi has often been the target of violence perpetrated by Boko Haram, a militant Islamic group in Nigeria whose name means \u201cWestern education is sinful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tBoko Haram, which rejects the Nigerian state and seeks to impose strict Shariah law throughout the country, has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks on Christians and is reportedly involved with rebels and terrorist groups in the region.<\/p>\n

\tThe group has been accused of systematically terrorizing and bombing churches in an attempt to force all Christians out of Nigeria.<\/p>\n

\tDozens of Christians in northern and central Nigeria have been killed or injured in recent months alone, and according to the BBC, the group has been blamed for attacks that caused the deaths of 1,400 people since 2010.<\/p>\n

\tIn July, a U.S. congressional subcommittee hearing discussed ways that the U.S. can respond to the continuing terrorist attacks in the country.<\/p>\n

\tNigeria's military said that it killed Boko Haram\u2019s spokesman and another leader on Sept. 17.<\/p>\n

\tCalling the suicide attack \u201chorrible and totally unacceptable,\u201d Cardinal Dolan and Bishop Pates voiced \u201ccondolences and solidarity,\u201d as well as \u201cgreat sadness\u201d at the news.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIt is sobering to note that the deaths and injuries could have been even worse had the Church not taken security precautions after the earlier bombing of a church in Bauchi last June,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

\tAcknowledging \u201cthe severity of the threat of violence,\u201d they praised Archbishop Kaigama for his \u201cpositive and courageous role of the Church in Nigeria.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe archbishop responded to the recent attack by saying that it was \u201cshocking,\u201d but that \u201cwe must go on with our lives and our work, and not be intimidated by violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tCardinal Dolan and Bishop Pates said they hope \u201cthe perpetrators of violence and terror will be brought to justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThey assured the archbishop of their \u201cunconditional support to the Church in Nigeria at this difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cBishop Pates\u2019 recent visit to Nigeria is a direct expression of that support,\u201d they said, adding that they are also \u201corganizing assistance for your programs in Jos with the youth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tIn addition, the prelates told the archbishop that they would call on the U.S. State Department to strengthen its support of the Nigeria\u2019s government and civil society in their work \u201cto end these senseless attacks, to address the root causes of the violence, and to rebuild the social fabric of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe know that Christians and Muslims will strive to find the courage and the love to continue building right relationships that will promote peace,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Washington D.C., Sep 28, 2012 \/ 02:08 am (CNA).- Leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops offered their support to the Church in Nigeria after a suicide car bomber attacked a cathedral in the northern region of the country. <\/p>\n

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