VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II on Monday decried what he called the terrorist bombing of a church in Colombia and sent his prayers to victims of rebels who "respect neither people nor sacred places."
Dozens of the estimated 108 people who died during fighting last week between rebels and paramilitaries had taken refuge in the Bellavista church in the village of Bojaya, in an isolated pocket of Colombia.
Colombian officials say rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, fired homemade mortars into the church. It was unclear if they were aiming at the church, however.
John Paul sent a message of condolences to the families of the victims, saying he was profoundly saddened by the guerrilla attack and condemned "these new acts of terrorism that commit an outrage against peaceful cohabitation and offend the sentiments of the dear Colombian people."
The pope said he felt very near to Colombians "so affected by guerrilla violence that respects neither people nor sacred places."