Bomb explodes at dedication of Tanzanian church; nuncio, archbishop present

May 06, 2013

One person was killed and dozens were injured when a bomb exploded at the dedication of a parish in Olasiti, a town of 12,000 in northern Tanzania.

Archbishop Francisco Padilla, the apostolic nuncio to Tanzania, and Archbishop Josaphat Lebulu of Arusha, the local bishop, were present at the dedication but were not injured.

“My prayers go especially to the victims who have died and to those who are wounded, some of them very gravely,” said Archbishop Padilla. “I pray that peace will always reign, that violence would not be the way to resolve tensions.”

The bombing in Tanzania follows the murder of a priest by Islamists in February and attacks on several churches in the nation’s capital in October after a teenage boy urinated on a copy of the Qur’an. Last month, 200 Christians attempted to burn down a mosque.

The nation of 46.9 million is 30% Catholic and nearly 35% Muslim; an additional 35% retain indigenous beliefs.

 

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Further information:

• Bomb attack on church in Tanzania (Vatican Radio)
• Tanzania church hit by deadly explosion (BBC)
• 1 Dead, 44 Injured in Blast in Tanzania Church (AP)
• Tanzania police disperse Christians trying to burn mosque (AFP)
• Tanzania: bishop urges government to take action against Islamists (CWN, 2/28)
• Several churches burned down in Tanzania’s capital (CWN, 10/17/12)