Pope Condemns Violence Against Christians After Deadly Hospital Attack in DRC
In a solemn statement, Pope Leo XIV has drawn attention to a troubling pattern of violence targeting Christians worldwide, following a devastating attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The pontiff’s message came after militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group affiliated with the Islamic State, stormed a church-run hospital in Byambwe village, North Kivu, killing at least 17 people in a brutal night of violence. “In various parts of the world, Christians suffer discrimination and persecution,” the Pope wrote on social media, specifically mentioning Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, Sudan, and other nations where attacks on Christian communities and places of worship have become distressingly common. His message reflected growing concern about targeted religious violence and called for prayers that “all violence may cease and that believers may work together for the common good.”
The attack on the diocesan health center operated by the Little Sisters of the Presentation revealed a horrifying level of brutality. According to Colonel Alain Kiwewa, the local administrator, attackers entered the facility late Friday night, killing patients in their hospital beds and setting fire to the building. “Women who were breastfeeding were brutally slaughtered and found with their throats slit in their hospital beds,” he reported, confirming that the casualties included eleven women and six men. Beyond the immediate deaths, reports suggest several newborns were kidnapped during the assault. The militants also destroyed medical supplies and burned 27 nearby homes, devastating a community already struggling with limited healthcare resources in the conflict-torn region.
Reverend Giovanni Piumatti, an Italian missionary who has served over fifty years in the Diocese of Butembo-Beni, described the attack as characteristic of the ADF’s tactics. “This is a typical ADF attack,” he told Vatican News. “They kill mothers as they are breastfeeding their babies.” His comments highlight a pattern of extreme violence that has become tragically familiar to communities in eastern Congo. The hospital provided essential maternal care and basic surgical services in an area where functioning medical facilities are scarce, making this attack not only a horrific act of violence but also a devastating blow to healthcare access for vulnerable populations.
The Allied Democratic Forces, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019, has a well-documented history of targeting Christians and religious institutions throughout eastern Congo. A Human Rights Watch report from August 2025 detailed how the group had “killed more than 40 people, including several children, with guns and machetes during a nighttime church gathering” in Ituri province. The report further noted that the ADF has been “implicated in scores of killings and abductions” across the region in recent years. This consistent pattern of violence suggests a deliberate campaign against Christian communities and institutions that provide essential services in areas already suffering from conflict and instability.
Father Piumatti expressed frustration at what he termed the “shameful silence” of the international community in response to these ongoing atrocities. He suggested that economic interests in North Kivu’s mineral-rich territory have allowed armed groups to operate with relative impunity, implying that global powers prioritize resource access over human security. The region’s vast deposits of cobalt, coltan, gold and other valuable minerals have long fueled conflict, with various armed groups competing for control of mining areas. This economic dimension adds a layer of complexity to the religious persecution, as militant groups exploit regional instability for both ideological and financial gain.
The Byambwe hospital massacre represents just one incident in a broader pattern of Islamist-linked attacks across the African continent targeting Christian communities. From Nigeria, where Boko Haram and other extremist groups have conducted systematic campaigns against churches and Christian villages, to Mozambique, where an Islamist insurgency has displaced thousands of Christians, religious-based violence appears to be increasing in both frequency and brutality. The Pope’s call for global attention to Christian persecution comes at a critical moment when these attacks often receive limited international coverage or response. As communities across the DRC and neighboring countries continue to suffer from targeted violence, questions remain about whether global powers will heed the pontiff’s plea for protection of vulnerable communities and work toward sustainable peace in regions where religious minorities face existential threats.
