Pope condemns Burkina Faso attacks

TERRORIST attacks on a church and a mosque in Burkina Faso, West Africa, on Sunday, have left scores dead, and prompted a message from the Pope that “Hatred is not the solution to conflicts.” At least 15 people were killed in an attack on a Roman Catholic church in Essakane, near to the Mali border, during a service on Sunday. On the same day, dozens of people were reported to have been killed by gunmen at a mosque in Ouagadougou Province, in the centre of the country. Details of the two attacks, including the motives behind them, remain unreported, but BBC News has said that more than one third of Burkina Faso is currently under the control of insurgents. In a telegram to bishops in the country, the Pope said that he was praying for the deceased, and called for “the fight against violence in order to promote the values of peace”, Vatican News reports.

Mafia suspected after bleach found in chalice

A MASS in Calabria was halted on Saturday afternoon owing to an apparent attempt to poison the priest, it was reported this week. Suspicion has fallen on organised-crime groups. During the service in Cessaniti, in southern Italy, Fr Felice Palamara noticed a strange smell coming from the chalice in which he had just consecrated the water and wine, and so the mass was interrupted. Lab tests confirmed that it contained bleach. No group has claimed responsibility for the attempted poisoning, but Fr Palamara told the newspaper Corriere della Sera that he was sure that his parishioners were not responsible. He has been an outspoken critic of the ’Ndrangheta organised crime network, which has a strong presence in the area, and previously his car was set on fire in a suspected act of intimidation.