ROME — Pope Francis on Sunday expressed concern over a deadly shooting at a Catholic church in Nigeria during the Feast of Pentecost that left between 25 and 50 dead; the attackers also abducted a priest and several others. The pope said he was praying for “the victims and the country”.

“As the details of what happened are clarified, Pope Francis prays for the victims and the country, painfully stricken in a moment of celebration, and entrusts both to the Lord, that he send his Spirit for the console,” a statement from the Vatican. said.

In the town of Owo in southwestern Nigeria on Sunday, an unknown number of gunmen entered St. Francis Church during morning mass. They fired on the congregation and then abducted a priest and other worshippers, witnesses said.

No terrorist group has so far claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, which took place as Catholics around the world celebrated the feast of Pentecost.

Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor of Ondo state where the event took place, called it a “vile and satanic attack” on innocent people.

Releasing few details about what happened, the governor tweeted a series of comments, one of them calling for calm, urging people not to “take the laws in your hands”.

“We will commit all available resources to tracking down these attackers and making them pay,” he added. “We will never pander to the machinations of heartless elements in our determination to rid our state of criminals.”

Africa’s most populous country has seen an increase in attacks and kidnappings for ransom by armed gangs, mainly in northwestern Nigeria.

Local media reported that some victims were taken to a nearby hospital in serious condition.

“The cowardly and satanic attack is a calculated attack on the peace-loving people of the Owo Kingdom, who have enjoyed relative peace over the years,” the Ondo Governor said, saying it was “a black Sunday for Owo”.

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The attack comes as violence increases in Nigeria. Four reasons for concern stand out: the Muslim terrorist organization Boko Haram continues to terrorize the northern region; growing banditry in the North West region; mafia organizations kidnapping people for ransom in the center of the country; and clashes between nomadic herders and farmers, mostly Muslims and Christians, in Nigeria’s middle belt and across the Sahel region.

According to Bishop Matthew Man-oso Ndagoso of Kaduna, in the 14 years since the explosion of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria, systemic violence has escalated and reports that the terrorist organization and bandits join forces are true; one has knowledge of explosive materials, while the others have the logistics to carry out attacks. For example, a recent attack on a train left eight people dead and dozens seriously injured.

“These things have made life in the country terrible,” Ndagoso said last week. “People can’t leave their homes, but they’re also not safe if they stay indoors, or on the roads. Even in the air, people are not safe: two months ago the bandits attacked a plane on the tarmac, meaning there were no flights to Kaduna, a hub for flights. It lasted nearly seven weeks, with flights resuming in recent days.

Nigeria’s Christian communities have been in the crosshairs for years. A week ago, the leader of a Methodist church was kidnapped along with two other clergy in the southeast of the country, for whose release a ransom of around $300,000 was demanded.

Two weeks ago, two Catholic priests were kidnapped in Katsina, President Muhammadu Buhari’s home state, and are still being held hostage.