Pope calls on Japan to strengthen commitment to peace after Shinzo Abe killing

Pope Francis is hopeful that Japan will strengthen its commitment to peace and against violence despite the “senseless” assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, the Vatican has said.

Gregorio Borgia Pope Francis met then Japanese PM Shinzo Abe in Tokyo in November 2019 (Gregorio Borgia/AP)

In a telegram, Francis said he was “deeply saddened” to learn of the killing and he offered his condolences to Mr Abe’s family and the people of Japan.

Mr Abe was fatally shot during a campaign speech on Friday in the city of Nara. Japanese media reported that the gunman, who was apprehended, had developed a hatred towards a religious group to which his mother was devoted.

The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, signed the telegram, which said of the Pope: “In the wake of this senseless act, he prays that Japanese society will be strengthened in its historic commitment to peace and non-violence.”

Francis last met with Mr Abe during a 2019 trip to Japan.

He visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where two US atomic bombs were dropped in the Second World War, and declared the mere possession of nuclear weapons was “immoral”.

In May, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Francis held a meeting at the Vatican as Russia pressed its war in Ukraine and after North Korea vowed to speed up the development of its own nuclear arsenal.

They vowed to work together to try to rid the world of nuclear weapons, according to Vatican and Japanese officials. 

Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha

Millions of Muslims across the globe – including in countries like Afghanistan, Libya, Egypt, Kenya and Yemen – are celebrating Eid al-Adha, one of the biggest holidays of the Islamic calendar.

Known as the “Feast of Sacrifice”, the revered observance coincides with the final rites of the annual hajj in Saudi Arabia.

It is a joyous occasion, for which food is a hallmark. Much of Asia, including Indonesia, India and Pakistan, will observe the holiday on Sunday.

But as Russia’s war in Ukraine sends food prices soaring and causes widespread hardship across the Middle East, many say they cannot afford the livestock for the ritual sacrifice.

Desperation over the cost of living has undercut the typically booming holiday trade in goats, cows and sheep.

Provided by PA Media Muslims pray outside a mosque as they celebrate Eid al-Adha, which Muslims in Russia call Kurban-Bairam, in St Petersburg (Dmitri Lovetsky/AP)

“Everyone wants to sacrifice an animal in the name of Allah, but they are not able to do so because they’re poor,” said Mohammad Nadir from a cattle market in Mazar-e-Sharif, northern Afghanistan.

Eid al-Adha commemorates the Koran’s tale of Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice Ismail as an act of obedience to God. Before he could carry out the sacrifice, God provided a ram as an offering. In the Christian and Jewish telling, Abraham is ordered to kill another son, Isaac.

Many Muslims celebrate the four-day feast by ritually slaughtering livestock and distributing the meat among family, friends and the poor.

At al-Shati refugee camp in west Gaza City on Saturday, excited children lined up for the innards and trotters – a cherished offering for those otherwise unable to afford meat.

In cash-strapped Afghanistan, there is usually a shopping rush for prime animals ahead of the holiday. But this year, surging global inflation and economic devastation after the Taliban takeover have put a purchase of great religious importance beyond the reach of many.

“Last year on this day I sold 40 to 50 cattle,” said Mohammad Qassim, an Afghan cattle vendor. “This year, I have only managed to sell two.”

Provided by PA Media Muslim pilgrims walk to cast stones at a pillar in the symbolic stoning of the devil in Mina, near the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia (Amr Nabil/AP)

Wheat and meat prices have multiplied and hunger has spread as Russia’s war on Ukraine disrupts agriculture and constrains energy supply.

The sky-high costs of animal feed and fertiliser have forced livestock salesmen to hike prices.

From Tripoli in war-torn Libya, families are looking forward to the holiday after the past two years of the pandemic and more than a decade of violent chaos.

But the price tags – up to £1,750 per sheep – had buyers pacing around the dusty market, apprehensive about the major purchase.

“Honestly, the prices are crazy,” said Sabri al-Hadi, seeming exasperated.

At a livestock market in the blockaded Gaza Strip, there were hardly any buyers. Vendors said the price of sheep feed has jumped four-fold in recent weeks.

“Our life is full of loss,” lamented Abu Mustafa, a sheep salesman in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, which has long suffered from widespread unemployment and poverty.

Provided by PA Media Palestinians celebrate on the first day of Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City (Mahmoud Illean/AP)

On the streets of Ramallah, in the West Bank, Palestinian families were cutting back on other components of the feast – typically a bounty of dishes.

“On days like these, there was demand for fruits, sweets and for nuts as well, but as you can see… no-one is standing to buy now,” complained fruit vendor Baligh Hamdi.

But lavish feast or not, there were community prayers – a welcome sight in much of the world after years of coronavirus-related restrictions.

The faithful crowded into mosques across the Middle East and North Africa on Saturday.

From Kenya to Russia to Egypt, throngs of worshippers prayed shoulder to shoulder, feet to feet.

“I feel very happy that all these people came to pray,” said Sahar Mohamed in Cairo, smiling widely. “There is love and acceptance between people.”

In Saudi Arabia, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims rose at dawn to trek to Mina, a wide valley ringed by barren mountains where Prophet Muhammad stopped on his route some 1,400 years ago.

One million Muslims from around the world flocked this week to the holy city of Mecca, the largest pilgrimage since the pandemic upended the event.

At the Jamarat Complex, pilgrims carried out the symbolic stoning of the devil, recalling Ibrahim’s victory over temptation. It is among the set of rituals associated with the Prophet Muhammad and the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail performed every year for these five intense days.

Provided by PA Media People pray in a mosque celebrating Eid al-Adha in Shali, the Chechen Republic, Russia (Musa Sadulayev/AP)

The pilgrims threw pebbles at three large pillars that mark the places where the devil tried to interrupt Ibrahim’s sacrifice.

It is the most dangerous point in the hajj, with masses streaming back and forth. In 2015, thousands of pilgrims were crushed to death by surging crowds.

In the years since, authorities have improved access with wider streets, electronic gates and a high-speed rail link.

All Muslims who are physically and financially able to complete the spiritual journey are supposed to do so at least once in a lifetime. Saudi Arabia has maintained limits to curb the spread of the virus this year, with a Covid vaccine mandate and attendance less than half of pre-pandemic quotas.

Still, the scenes were a significant step closer to normal. The famous crowds thronged the holy sites, abandoning masks and safety measures.

At the end of the pilgrimage, one of the key pillars of Islam, men are expected to shave their heads and women to snip a lock of hair in a sign of renewal.

They will return to Mecca to circle the cube-shaped Kaaba, which represents the metaphorical house of God, in farewell before heading home and continuing to celebrate the remainder of Eid al-Adha with family.

“We are feeling very proud,” said Indian pilgrim Izhar Anjoom, who was stoning the devil in Mina. “We are enjoying (ourselves) so much because today is Eid.” 

• By Amr Nabil and Isabel Debre, Associated Press

50 feared dead as gunmen attack Catholic church in Nigeria

More than 50 people are feared dead after gunmen opened fire on worshippers at a Catholic church in Nigeria.

Other The church's priest was abducted in the attack. Pic: Rahaman A Yusuf/AP

The attackers targeted the St Francis Catholic Church in the town of Owo in the southwestern state of Ondo just as worshippers gathered on Pentecost Sunday, state politician Ogunmolasuyi Oluwole said.

Other Pic: Rahaman A Yusuf/AP

Authorities did not immediately release an official death toll, but Mr Oluwole said many children were among the dead.

© Other Pic: Rahaman A Yusuf/AP

Adelegbe Timileyin, who represents the Owo area in Nigeria’s lower legislative chamber, said at least 50 people had been killed, though others put the figure higher.

Mr Timileyin added that the church's priest was also abducted.

Videos appearing to be from the scene of the attack showed worshippers lying in pools of blood while people around them wailed.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.

'Our hearts are heavy'

The state's governor Rotimi Akeredolu said he was shocked by the attack, adding: "Our peace and tranquillity have been attacked by the enemies of the people".

In a statement, Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari said: "Only fiends from the nether region could have conceived and carried out such dastardly act."

The president was elected after vowing to end Nigeria's prolonged security crisis.

Pope Francis prays for victims

The Vatican said Pope Francis was "praying for the victims and the country painfully affected at a time of celebration".

While much of Nigeria has struggled with security issues, Ondo is widely known as one of Nigeria's most peaceful states.

The town of Owo is around 214 miles (345km) east of the country's capital, Lagos.

Attacks on religious minorities in India occurred throughout last year, religious freedom report finds

Attacks on religious minorities in India, including killings and assaults, occurred throughout last year, a US report on religious freedom around the globe has found.

Reuters A petition was filed by a group of Hindus looking to pray inside the Gyanvapi

mosque compound which they claim was built atop the ruins of a medieval-era temple

Some officials in the officially secular Asian nation have ignored or even supported rising attacks on people and places of worship, a US official said on Thursday.

The report said the attacks included cow vigilantism - attacks on non-Hindus for allegedly slaughtering cows or trading in beef.

Most Hindus, who account for around 80% of India's 1.35 billion people,

consider cows sacred and many states ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party have enacted laws or toughened old ones against slaughtering cows.

Meanwhile Muslims make up around 13% of India's population.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the rights of religious minorities around the world were under threat.

"For example, in India, the world's largest democracy and home to a great diversity of faiths, we've seen rising attacks on people and places of worship," Mr Blinken said.

Rashad Hussain, who leads the US State Department's efforts to monitor religious freedom around the world, said some

Indian officials were "ignoring or even supporting rising attacks on people and places of worship".

Sky News has contacted India's foreign ministry for comment. It has previously contested any external commentary on internal affairs - especially from the US.

It comes after a local court last month began hearing a petition filed by a group of Hindus that seeks access to pray inside the Gyanvapi mosque compound.

The petition argued the mosque was built atop the ruins of a medieval-era temple that was razed by a Mughal emperor and the petitioners say the complex still houses Hindu idols and motifs, a claim contested by the mosque's authorities.

Earlier this year, a ban on wearing hijabs in classrooms in the state of Karnataka - which had sparked protests by Muslim students and parents as well as counter-protests by Hindu students - was upheld in court.