2 Catholic nuns shot, killed in volatile South Sudan

Gunmen shot and killed two Catholic nuns while they were traveling on a highway in South Sudan, which is one of the world’s deadliest places to be an aid worker.

While five other sisters survived the attack, two men were also killed.

Sisters Mary Daniel Abud and Regina Roba from the Sisters of the Sacred Heart in the Archdiocese of Juba were buried at the St. Theresa Cathedral on Friday.

Abud, head teacher at the Usratuna school in Juba, and Roba, a tutor and administrator at the Catholic Health Training Institute in South Sudan’s Wau Diocese, were among seven nuns who were attacked along a highway in South Sudan on Monday as they were returning home to Juba after attending the centenary celebrations at a parish in the eastern Diocese of Torit.

The gunmen, who have not been identified, followed the nuns to the bushes where they hid. They first shot Abud, who was lying down, and then shot Roba in the back as she ran away.

A male driver and another man were also killed. Another man, who was driving a motorcycle taxi, was also killed in an accident as he was fleeing the attack, according to Catholic News Agency.

Pope Francis sent his condolences on Saturday.

“Trusting that their sacrifice will advance the cause of peace, reconciliation and security in the region, His Holiness prays for their eternal rest and the comfort of those who grieve their loss,” a telegram, signed by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said.

A believer in South Sudan was quoted by Mission News Network as saying that Islam was invading South Sudan. “They’re saying South Sudan is a strategic place and that [it] will be the gate to Africa [so that] Islam can go to all of Africa.”