VATICAN CITY (Sputnik) — Pope Francis on Sunday called on believers to pray for ridding the world of terrorism in light of recent terrorist acts in Burkina Faso, Spain and Finland.
"We carry in our hearts the pain over the terroristic attacks in recent days that have claimed numerous victims in Burkina Faso, in Spain and in Finland … Let us pray for those who died, for the wounded and for their families and let us implore the Lord, the God of mercy and of peace, to free the world from this inhuman violence," Pope Francis said after his Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square, as quoted by The Vatican Today.
On Friday, two people were killed and eight others were injured in a knife attack in Turku, Finland. The key suspect, who was shot by the police during detention, was an 18-year-old citizen of Morocco.
On Sunday, a group of armed attackers approached the local Istanbul cafe in Burkina Faso on a motorcycle and opened fire, leaving 18 people dead and another eight injured. During a counterterrorism operation that followed the attack, local security forces managed to kill two of the gunmen.
