THE massacre of dozens of worshippers during mass at Pentecost in a Roman Catholic church in south-west Nigeria was an “act of pure evil and a profound offence to God”, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.

At least 50 people, including many children, are believed to have died in the attack at St Francis’s, Owo, in Ondo State.

Armed men arrived on motorcycles and entered the church, setting off explosives. They spent 30 minutes inside, shooting worshippers. Some had already entered the church before the service, posing as worshippers, a police spokesman said.

Witnesses saw blood on the altar and the floor, and bodies strewn on pews. The church, which was full when the attack began, can hold up to 1200 people.

A chorister, John Nwovu, told the BBC: “I saw entire families being wiped away: friends, relatives, those I knew.”

Archbishop Welby, who worked in Nigeria before his ordination, said: “The massacre of worshippers — men, women, and children — during a mass in south-west Nigeria was an act of pure evil and a profound offence to God.

“The tragedy is deepened because such vulnerable people found no mercy from their attackers. May God receive their souls in peace.

“My prayers are with all affected by this barbaric attack. I continue to pray for the nation of Nigeria.”

Pope Francis sent assurance of his prayers for the victims and for the country. “His Holiness Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the horrific attack at St Francis Church in Owo, and he assures you and all those affected by this act of unspeakable violence of his spiritual closeness,” a telegram from the Vatican Secretary of State to Bishop Jude Ayodeji Arogundade of Ondo.

“In commending the souls of the dead to the loving mercy of Almighty God and imploring divine healing and consolation upon the injured and those who are grieving, His Holiness prays for the conversion of those blinded by hatred and violence so that they will choose instead the path of peace and righteousness.”