On Sunday, June 15, 2025, Pope Leo prayed for the people who died in what he called a “terrible massacre” in Benue State, Nigeria.
More than 200 people were said to have been killed in a very violent attack in the Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area. This was one of the latest attacks by armed herders in the state.
During his Sunday Angelus prayer, the Pope said that many of those killed were people who had already been forced to leave their homes and were staying at a Catholic mission. He said this made the attack even more shocking.
“I am praying for safety, justice, and peace in Nigeria,” Pope Leo said from Saint Peter’s Square.
“I am thinking in a special way of the Christian villages in Benue State, who have suffered many times from violence.”
