The Vatican strongly condemned a suicide blast in eastern Pakistan city of Lahore that killed at 72 people and injured over 300 as they were celebrating Easter on Sunday in a local park. 

A splinter group of the Taliban claimed responsibility, saying they’d intentionally targeted Christians.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, in a statement said: “Once again, cowardly murderous hatred rages on the most defenseless,” he said.

The statement also said that Pope Francis had been informed of the tragedy and that he was praying for the victims, while expressing closeness to the “immense” pain of the wounded, the affected families, and “to the members of Christians minorities once again struck by fanatical violence”.

Source : MENA