Pope Francis led a minute’s silence in St Peter’s Square last Sunday for the victims of the deadly attack on a mosque in Egypt two days earlier, the country’s worst atrocity in recent years, writes Ellen Teague.
The Pope said he was “profoundly grieved to learn of the great loss of life caused by the militant attack on al-Rawda mosque in northern Sinai”. The attack at Bir al-Abed killed at least 305 people – including 27 children – and wounded 128 others. It is believed to be the work of Islamist extremists and marks a major escalation in a region where, for the past few years, Egyptian security forces have fought an Islamic State insurgency.
The mosque was bombed and then dozens of gunmen waiting outside attacked those trying to escape the attack at Friday prayers on 24 November. Most of the victims were Sufi Muslims, whom many Islamist extremists consider heretical. President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi declared a three-day mourning period across Egypt last weekend.
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