Fear has taken over Nazaré Training Centerin the Archdiocysis of Beirain Mozambique, after the attack this Sunday, February 23, which left two priests and a religious brother injured in their facilities.
The Mozambique Religious Institutes Conference informed the Pontifical Foundation Help the needy church (ACN, for its acronym in English) that a group of men armed with guns, machetes and irons entered the institution in the early hours of February 23 and violently attacked three missionaries who were there.
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According to An ACN report of February 25after the attack, the Episcopal Conference “expressed concern about insecurity” in the Nation of Southern Africa and requested prayers for peace in the country.
ACN reported that the two priests and the brother were “tied and tortured by the bandits” within the institution, which offers various training courses for the Archdiocese of Beira, in Mozambique.
According to the report, the three men “are out of danger” and only suffered “minor pain and injury.”
One of the victims, Fr. Timothée Bationo, is a priest of Burkina Faso who turned two decades of priesthood in December 2024 and is currently an episcopal vicar for the consecrated life of the Archdiocese of Beira. The Burkinse priest is also responsible for the Nazaré Training Center.
ACN said that the attack on the Catholic institution occurs in a delicate moment in the political life of the Portuguese African country, which has been shaken by political agitation after a presidential election disputed.
Mozambique, according to ACN, also continues to suffer attacks by the militants of Al Shahab, especially in the province of Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country.
In the February 25 report, ACN cites one of the victims saying that the incident of the robbery was being managed by security officials, who, according to him, have not yet provided details about the thieves, including their identity and what they could have taken.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in ACO Africa.
ACO Africa
ACI Africa (www.aciafricaves.com) is an Ewtn News Inc. (www.ewtnnews.com) service as well as ACI Press. It was officially opened on August 17, 2019, as a continental Catholic News Agency at the service of the Church in Africa. Based in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, this media apostolate informs about the Africa news providing media coverage of Catholic events in the African continent and giving visibility to the activities of the Church throughout Africa. The editor in chief of ACI Africa is Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla.