U.S. bishops publish letter of solidarity with Church in Mali following violent attacks
US Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a letter of solidarity with the Church in Mali after coordinated attacks on April 25‑26. Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace, wrote to Bishop Hassa Florent Kone expressing condolences and spiritual closeness. The attacks targeted military positions, including the Kati base near Bamako, and killed defense minister Sadio Camara. US bishops pledged prayers for the victims, wounded, and the broader communities mourning the violence.
4 months ago
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a letter of solidarity with the Catholic Church in Mali after coordinated terrorist attacks on April 25‑26 2026 that killed the country’s defence minister and wounded many civilians and soldiers. The bishops expressed prayers, condemned the violence, and called for inter‑religious dialogue, education and economic opportunity as foundations for lasting peace in the Sahel.
Coordinated strikes hit several military sites, including the Kati base near Bamako, killing Defence Minister Sadio Camara. The assaults were carried out by an al‑Qaeda affiliate working with Tuareg rebels 2 3. The violence spread to Bamako, Sévaré‑Mopti, Gao and Kidal, causing civilian casualties and deepening insecurity across the Sahel 1.
Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace, wrote on May 19 2026 to Bishop Hassa Florent Kone of Mali’s Diocese of San. The letter offered “fraternal solidarity and deep condolences,” affirmed spiritual closeness, and prayed for the wounded and grieving families 1 2 3.
Zaidan highlighted the fragility of human security in the Sahel and urged continued inter‑religious dialogue and collaboration among people of goodwill 2 3. He praised the Sahel Peace Initiative and the work of Catholic Relief Services, noting that education and economic opportunity for youth are essential to peacebuilding 1 2 3.
Malian bishops expressed “great sorrow” over the clashes, extended condolences to the state, bereaved families and the nation, and prayed for the souls of the fallen and speedy recovery of the injured 1 2 3. They joined the US bishops in entrusting Mali’s future to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary during the month of May 1 2 3.
These coordinated messages from the USCCB and the Malian bishops aim to foster hope and unity amid a deteriorating security situation in West Africa.*
Catholic bishops must address violence against Christians in Africa
Catholic teaching does not leave the Church’s response to violence against Christians in Africa to “optional” charity or private concern. It describes a specific episcopal duty: to defend the Gospel of peace, to protect religious freedom, to care for persecuted people without discrimination, and to address the deeper moral and social roots of violence—while working for reconciliation rather than vengeance.
Catholic bishops are not merely witnesses of suffering; they are charged with pastoral governance in crisis. When the Church is attacked, the bishop must do what the Church is meant to do: serve souls, protect the right to religious freedom, and bear witness to peace.
Pope John Paul II states that the Church’s role in such situations is “not to take sides but to serve the spiritual needs of all, without discrimination,” and that the bishop’s task is “to bear witness to the Gospel message of peace” and to invoke and communicate God’s grace of healing.
That is especially important in Africa, where John Paul II describes a “suffering-laden history” in which bishops and entire communities have been “brutally persecuted and even killed,” and where structures serving the common good have been destroyed.
In the same spirit, John Paul II also emphasizes that the Church—having suffered enormously—must “maintain her strong stance in order to protect those who have no voice,” and he urges bishops to work “tirelessly for reconciliation” and to offer “authentic witness to unity by gestures of solidarity and support for the victims of decades of violence.”
So when the claim is made that bishops “must address violence against Christians in Africa,” the Catholic framework is not primarily partisan advocacy. It is pastoral and moral leadership: protect life, heal wounds, and defend what justice and religious freedom require.
A frequent misunderstanding is that the Church responds to persecution by escalating conflict or adopting the logic of the persecutor. Catholic teaching explicitly rejects that. The response must remain ordered to peace and to the Gospel.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s “World Day of Peace” teaching directly addresses persecuted Christian communities “particularly in Asia, in Africa, in the Middle East and especially in the Holy Land,” and calls on those in authority to “act promptly to end every injustice against the Christians living in those lands.”
Yet this appeal is paired with a clear spiritual principle: “Violence is not overcome by violence.”
Similarly, John Paul II’s instruction on bishops insists they maintain harmony and speak “with the clear voice of the Good Shepherd who knows his sheep,” while paying attention to the moral crisis behind social collapse—such as weakened family ties, lack of social justice, and degradation of truth and honesty.
Religious freedom is also central. Pope Leo XIV explicitly describes persecution of Christians as a widespread human-rights crisis and warns that religious freedom is treated as a “privilege” rather than a fundamental right.
Finally, John Paul II teaches that bishops must foster an attitude of “mutual respect” and remain vigilant “to ensure that the truth is never silenced,” while also protecting a freedom that “must never be exploited for political ends.”
Taken together, these points mean: bishops should speak forcefully against injustice done to Christians, but always within a framework of peace, truth, non-discrimination, and respect for others’ rights, not through retaliation or sectarian escalation.
Catholic teaching repeatedly links episcopal action to three concrete areas: (1) reconciliation, (2) protection and care for victims, and (3) formation of consciences.
John Paul II’s “Africa” guidance calls bishops to protect those without a voice, work for reconciliation, and offer solidarity to victims of long violence.
He also describes attention to refugees and displaced persons as part of bishops’ responsibility: he urges bishops to continue loving and caring for those forced into foreign lands and reminds them their condition does not lessen their importance in God’s eyes.
Beyond direct pastoral care, bishops must also address moral and social causes. John Paul II teaches that bishops should “speak out against the corruption which destroys the fabric of civic life” and should form consciences—especially of political and economic leaders—in principles and values needed for “a truly human and just society” oriented to the common good.
Benedict XVI similarly frames justice as foundational: “Justice obliges us to ‘render to each his due’… It is an issue… of rendering justice to whole peoples,” and he connects justice and peace to solidarity and charity.
So “addressing violence” is not restricted to condemnations. It includes: safeguarding religious freedom and human dignity; mediating reconciliation; serving displaced victims; confronting corruption and injustice; and helping leaders form moral judgment so violence loses its social “support system.”
Catholic sources also insist that violence is rarely only a “religious” phenomenon. It is often rooted in moral disorder and social injustices that allow violence to multiply.
John Paul II highlights that conflicts in Africa show contempt for the human person, his rights and dignity, and he lists consequences such as “economic underdevelopment, poverty, forced migration,” the spread of disease, and “plundering of natural resources and environmental degradation.”
In the address to African diplomatic contexts, he connects peace with solidarity that transcends borders, emphasizing that political responsibilities exist “to be at the service of their peoples,” and that peace-building is a “deeply human mission” oriented to overcoming indifference and selfishness.
Benedict XVI adds that the plundering of the earth’s goods by a minority “to the detriment of entire peoples is unacceptable, because it is immoral,” and he explicitly ties justice to subsidiarity and solidarity.
Therefore, bishops addressing violence against Christians in Africa will also need to speak—and act—on the social realities that make persecution easier and peace harder: poverty, corruption, broken social bonds, exploitation, and political failure to protect rights.
Given these principles, Catholic teaching supports the statement that bishops must address violence against Christians in Africa in the following sense:
This is why the claim is consistent with Catholic ecclesiology: episcopal authority exists to shepherd souls and to defend the moral order through Gospel witness—especially when Christians are targeted.
Violence against Christians in Africa is therefore not only a tragedy to “mourn”; it is a moral and human-rights crisis that, under Catholic teaching, calls for strong, peace-oriented episcopal leadership grounded in justice, solidarity, reconciliation, and religious freedom.