Pope condemns Nigeria attacks, prays for them to stop

Pope Benedict on Monday condemned the Christmas Day bomb attacks by Islamist militants in Nigeria as an "absurd gesture" and prayed that "the hands of the violent be stopped".

The pope, speaking from his window overlooking St Peter's Square in Rome, said such violence

The scene of a bomb explosion at St. Theresa Catholic Church at Madalla, Suleja, just outside Nigeria's capital Abuja, December 25, 2011. Islamist militant group Boko Haram said it planted bombs that exploded on Christmas Day at Churches in Nigeria. Photo: REUTERS