Attack on churches leaves 14 dead and 70 injured in Pakistan.

Two suicide attacks against Christian churches in the city of Lahore, Pakistan, on Sunday (15) left 14 dead and more than 70 injured, which sparked outrage among the population, who attacked and killed two suspected militants. The attacks occurred during prayers in two churches in the Youhanabad neighborhood, where more than 100 Christians live.

In the Vatican, Pope Francis today lamented the attacks and called for an end to the persecution of Christians, which, according to him, "the world tries to hide."

In Lahore, doctor Mohammad Saeed Sohbin reported that 14 bodies and more than 70 wounded arrived at the General Hospital, located near the site of the attacks. According to him, the numbers do not include militants killed by the civilian population.

Zahid Pervez, the top health official in Lahore, confirmed the death toll and added that 78 people were injured in the two attacks. Broken window glass, blood, and shoes were scattered everywhere at the explosion sites.

Em e-mailA spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban movement, Ehsanullah Ehsan, claimed responsibility for the "suicide attacks." The Pakistani Taliban have multiplied since 2007, when they attacked the country's security forces, which they accuse of supporting the American war on terror and Pakistan's religious minorities.

In September 2013, a Taliban faction claimed responsibility for a similar attack outside a church after Sunday mass in Peshawar, in the northeast of the country. With 82 dead, that was the largest attack on the Christian minority ever recorded in Pakistan's history. Christians represent 2% of the Pakistani population.

Also today, two people died and 12 others were injured following a bomb explosion in a crowded market in Karachi, the country's largest city, Pakistani police reported.

In the Vatican, during the prayer of AngelusPope Francis lamented the deaths of those who were in churches at the time of the attack and stated that, in some parts of the world, Christians are persecuted simply for professing their faith. "May this persecution against Christians, which the world tries to hide, end and may there be peace," the pontiff prayed. The attacks occurred during prayers in two churches located about half a kilometer apart in Youhanabad, in the city of Lahore, a neighborhood where more than one hundred thousand Christians live, authorities revealed.

The Pope also expressed solidarity with the people of Vanuatu, a country devastated by Cyclone Pam on Friday (13). “I remain close to the people of Vanuatu, in the Pacific Ocean, affected by a severe cyclone. I pray for the dead, injured and displaced. I thank all those who mobilized immediately to offer help to the country.”