From the CBCP News

Pope condemns violence in Cotabato

MANILA, July 6, 2009—Pope Benedict XVI expressed grief over the bomb attack near the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Cotabato City and condemned it as unjustifiable act.

While Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo was delivering his homily yesterday, a big explosion rocked the ongoing Sunday service.

The incident immediately claimed at least five lives and injured over 30 civilians, most of them churchgoers.

When learning the incident, the Pope, after praying the Angelus, expressed his “deep rejection” of the attack and prayed for the victims.

The pontiff told the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square that the attack was being attributed to Muslim extremists by local police.

"While praying for the victims of this ignoble gesture, I raise my voice once again to condemn the use of violence, which is never a decent way to solve problems," he added. (CBCPNews)