Twenty people have been killed and dozens more injured after two bombs exploded at a Roman Catholic church in the southern Philippines.
The so-called Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo. The first bomb detonated as Sunday Mass was being celebrated at about 8.45am local time; the second outside as soldiers responded.
The attack came just days after a vote in which a Muslim majority region in the country’s south voted for autonomy in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. The town where the attack took place reportedly voted against the move.
Authorities in the Philippines vowed to “relentlessly hunt” down the perpetrators of the attack.
Pope Francis, who is in Panama for World Youth Day, condemned the attack and prayed that God would “convert the hearts of the violent and grant the inhabitants of that region a peaceful coexistence”.
The Catholic Bishops Conference in the Philippines condemned the “act of terrorism” and expressed their condolences to the families of the victims.
It’s not the first time the cathedral has been bombed.
