(LifeSiteNews) — Bishops of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are putting out a call for help and justice in the wake of an Islamic terror attack on a Catholic church that left more than 43 dead.
As previously covered by LifeSiteNews, on the morning of July 27, terrorists with the ISIS-linked Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) stormed the Catholic parish of Blessed Anuarite during a Sunday prayer vigil, murdering dozens of congregants with machetes before burning parts of the church and victims’ bodies, kidnapping others, and looting and burning other homes and businesses in the vicinity. Nine children were among the fatalities.
Catholic News Agency reports that Congolese bishops have spoken to the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), which relays that they are outraged by the lack of response by local authorities, including the lack of any arrests so far.
“The police and military were not far away, but they didn’t act in time. They should have intervened more quickly to protect the population,” said Bishop Dieudonné Uringi of Bunia.
The bishop added that aid is needed to care for those displaced by the violence. “Many had to leave their parishes and seek refuge in Bunia,” he said. “We welcome them, but we have no means to sustain them. It would be a great relief to receive help, as we have before from your foundation, to accompany us at this time.”
“This umpteenth massacre has occurred in one of the provinces that has been under a state of siege for several years … In these provinces, we are witnessing murders and kidnappings,” declared the National Bishops’ Conference of Congo (CENCO), which added that “no credible explanation has been offered to reassure the population” and called for a “thorough and satisfactory investigation into the tragedy.”
“Is anyone talking about the ADF Islamists, the [other] terrorists?” CENCO asked. “Do these serial killers have any purpose? Who benefits from these crimes perpetrated for years against peaceful citizens?”
For his part, Bishop Uringi is not letting the danger stop his own ministry. “This very afternoon, I must travel more than 60 kilometers [37 miles] to a mining area in the middle of the jungle, as I did in June and July,” he told ADF. “I do travel every month to administer the sacrament of confirmation.”
According to Global Christian Relief’s 2025 Red List report, the Congo is the second “deadliest country for Christians,” behind only Nigeria. The report emphasized that “390 Christians were recorded as killed” during the reporting period from November 2022 to 2024 and specifically singled out “Islamic militant groups like the Allied Democratic Forces” as the “main killers.”
Meanwhile, a LifeFunder is currently underway to support the Angelic Sisters of St. Paul, who are among some six million Congolese who have been displaced by violence in the region. Please consider donating to help them not only survive but continue helping the war-ravaged poor.
