Pope condemns new round of murders of Christians by ISIS

Pope Francis delivers his speech from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s square during the Regina Coeli midday prayer, at the Vatican, Sunday, April 19, 2015. AP

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Pope Francis has condemned the killing by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants of several Ethiopian Christians. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a separate condemnation.

Many in Ethiopia are reeling from the news of the killings in Libya a video of which was released by ISIS over the weekend.

BACKSTORY: Video: Islamist ISIS kills Ethiopian Christians in Libya

The victims were planning to go to Europe by boat from Libya but were captured and then killed by the Islamic extremists, said grieving family members and government officials. Ethiopia’s government on Monday declared three days of mourning.

Pope Francis on Monday sent a letter to the patriarch of Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Church, Abuna Matthias, expressing “distress and sadness” at the “further shocking violence perpetrated against innocent Christians in Libya.

READ: Pope denounces ‘intolerable brutality’ in Iraq, Syria

The pope has been very vocal in condemning the persecution of Christians across the globe in recent months, and stressed in the letter to the Ethiopian orthodox patriarch that “it makes no difference whether the victims are Catholic, Copt, Orthodox or Protestant.”

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the killings and “utterly deplores the targeting of people on the basis of their religious affiliation,” his spokesman said.