Pope Francis has sent his condolences after the attack on the hospital in Quetta, Pakistan, which killed over 70 people on Monday.

The majority of the victims were lawyers who had gathered to mourn the assassination of the president of the Baluchistan Bar Association, Bilal Anwar Kasi, who was killed earlier in the day.

The Catholic Church in Pakistan has also condemned the attack which was carried out at the entrance of the emergency department of the hospital.

A faction of the Taliban, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, claimed responsibility for the hospital attack and the killing of Kasi. However, ISIS has also said it carried out the bomb attack.

"Killing innocent people is (an) inhuman act and totally unacceptable," said the National Commission for Justice and Peace, a rights-based organisation of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops' Conference, in a statement condemning the "tragic killing."

The telegram sent by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin reads:

Deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life after the attack on a hospital in Quetta, His Holiness Pope Francis sends heartfelt condolences to the relatives of the deceased, to the authorities and to the entire nation, as he offers the assurance of his prayers for the many injured victims of this senseless and brutal act of violence. Upon all who mourn and upon all who have been affected by this tragedy, His Holiness invokes the divine gifts of consolation and strength.

Source

• Vatican Radio
• Catholic Herald
• Image: tribune.com.pk