AFRICA/NIGERIA - The Bishops are devastated for the "Black Sunday" in Nigeria

Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - "We are appalled and shocked by the two tragedies that hit Nigeria yesterday, the airplane crash in Lagos that killed 153 people, and the attack on a Christian church in Bauchi," says to Fides His Exc. Mgr. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, Archbishop of Jos and President of the Episcopal Conference of Nigeria, which has just concluded a meeting with the Bishops gathered in Abuja. "I find myself in the federal capital, Abuja, for the National Catholic Prayer Pilgrimage. We invited the Catholics of Nigeria, from the Bishops to the individual believer, to gather in Abuja to pray for our Country. In particular we ask the Lord's help to counter the incessant terrorist attacks with bombs, murder, armed robbery, committed against the entire nation." "The moment of prayer which was held on June 2, the faithful prayed with great intensity," said Bishop Kaigama. "After prayer, the Bishops met with President Goodluck Jonathan, to discuss the problems of security of the Country and attacks against Christian churches, especially in the north. The meeting was highly successful," says Mgr. Kaigama. Yesterday, Sunday, June 3, an airliner that links Abuja to the economic capital Lagos, crashed in a neighborhood in the latter city. In its fall, the plane, carrying 147 passengers and six crew members, hit a two-story building and a church and a small print shop. Also yesterday, in Bauchi, northern Nigeria, a car bomb exploded near a Pentecostal church, killing 15 people. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 04/06/2012)