Roman Catholic bishops in Bangladesh have condemned a 1st July terror attack in which at least 20 people died, saying that violence in the name of religion is “always wrong”.
Islamic militants killed at least 20 people after taking them hostage in a Dhaka eatery late on Friday night. Most of the victims were foreigners; many of Italian nationality. The siege ended on Saturday after 12 hours when security forces stormed the building.
While the so-called Islamic State has claimed responsibility, authorities reportedly believe a domestic terror group was responsible.
“Violence in the name of religion is always wrong. We must all recover the human trait that leads to the respect of dignity and peace”, Fides reported a statement from the Catholic bishops saying.
Mgr Gervas Rozario, bishop of Rajshahi, told the news organisation that the bishops condemned the violence and invited “everyone to be touched and transformed by values such as mercy and forgiveness, which are the authentic traits of a human being”.
“We fully participate in the mourning in which the country is in and we pray for the souls of the victims and their families, expressing deep sympathy.”
The Roman Catholic church in Bangladesh – which makes up less than one per cent of the population – commemorated the victims of the attack in services on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis, in his Sunday appearance in St Peter’s Square, offered prayers for the victims of both the Bangladesh attack and the more than 125 killed in Iraq when a truck bomb exploded around midnight on Saturday in Baghdad.
