Nearly 40 people were killed in a midnight attack on a Catholic church in Congo over the weekend. It is one of the deadliest attacks in Congo’s recent history but part of a broader pattern of attacks on Christians across Africa and the Middle East. Islamic State–affiliated militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) claimed responsibility for the attack in the town of Komanda, in Ituri province. Gunmen stormed the church during a worship service, opening fire and attacking with machetes. Survivors say the attackers also burned homes, looted property, and abducted villagers as they fled. The ADF, originally a Ugandan rebel group, has been active in Congo for years but became more lethal after pledging allegiance to ISIS in 2019. The UN has warned that ongoing conflict in the region has already displaced hundreds of thousands of people and created one of the world’s most neglected humanitarian crises. The victims in Komanda weren’t soldiers. They were families kneeling in prayer. Pope Leo XIV has not commented publicly on the Komanda massacre through his social media channels, where he frequently addresses the war in Gaza. A message of “deep sorrow” was issued on his behalf through a Vatican telegram signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, expressing condolences to the Congolese Church and prayers for peace and reconciliation in the region. The post Catholics Massacred in Congo Church Attack appeared first on Redacted.