Pope Leo XIV has made a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of hundreds of students and clergy abducted in Nigeria and Cameroon. Speaking from St. Peter’s Square, the pontiff expressed “immense sadness” over the kidnappings and urged “competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to secure their liberation.”
In Nigeria, around 315 students and teachers were reportedly taken from St. Mary High School in Niger State. In Cameroon, six Catholic priests from the Archdiocese of Bamenda were kidnapped, along with a Baptist pastor.
The Pope also called for a renewed spirit of prayer and solidarity, asking the faithful to pray that churches and schools remain places of safety and hope. “Let us pray … that churches and schools may always and everywhere remain safe spaces of hope,” he said.
