VATICAN CITY – Pope Leo has called for the immediate release of children and staff abducted this week from St. Mary’s Catholic School in northwest Nigeria, describing the attack as a source of deep personal anguish.
Gunmen kidnapped at least 315 students and teachers on Friday, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), following a “verification exercise” that raised the initial estimate of 227 hostages.
The mass abduction is among the largest school kidnappings in Nigeria’s recent history and comes amid a spate of attacks that forced the government to close 47 colleges this week.
Speaking at the end of a mass in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo said, “I was deeply saddened to learn of the kidnappings of priests, faithful, and students in Nigeria and Cameroon. I feel great pain, especially for the many young men and women who have been abducted and for their anguished families.”
He appealed to authorities to act swiftly, urging, “I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages and urge the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their release.”
The Pope also called on the global community to pray for the victims, emphasizing that churches and schools must remain “places of safety and hope.”
Nigeria has faced a growing wave of school kidnappings in recent years, with armed groups targeting educational institutions for ransom, further deepening security concerns across the region.
