The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia decried recent extremist attacks on members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
The bishops described the attacks as a “grave sin against God, a direct affront to the sanctity of human life, and a violation of the moral law entrusted to humanity,” as they called for a “thorough, transparent, and just” government investigation.
The bishops also warned against “any attempt to use the tragedy to sow division among religious or ethnic communities.”
The East African nation of 121.4 million (map)–the 12th most populous in the world—is 61% Christian (38% Orthodox, 20% Protestant), 33% Muslim, and 6% ethnic religionist.