called out the latest attack against Christians in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), calling attention to what he described as a growing global pattern of violence against the faithful.

“In various parts of the world, Christians suffer discrimination and persecution. I think especially of Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, Sudan, and other countries from which we frequently hear of attacks on communities and places of worship. … I accompany in prayer the families of Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where in recent days there has been a massacre of civilians. Let us pray that all violence may cease and that believers may work together for the common good,” the pope wrote in a statement published on his official X page.

His message came as authorities in the DRC confirmed that at least 17 people were killed, according to The Associated Press, when fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces, a militant group aligned with the Islamic State, stormed a church-run hospital in the village of Byambwe, North Kivu.