Pope Francis has prayed for the victims of an attack on a Nigerian church in which at least 25 worshippers were killed by gunmen.
A Vatican statement said he had learned of the deaths of dozens of people.
The assault took place in the southern town of Owo, in Ondo state.
Officials there have warned the number of casualties could rise.
They say a priest and other members of the congregation were abducted by the gunmen, whose identity is unknown.
Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, has condemned the attack calling it “heinous”.
A week ago, the head of the country’s Methodist church was kidnapped; he was released after a ransom was paid.
Attack
Gunmen have killed church worshippers in Ondo state, south-west Nigeria.
President Muhammadu Buhari said “only fiends from the nether region” could have done this “dastardly act”.
The armed men entered St Francis Catholic church in the town of Owo during a Sunday service. They fired into the congregation and then kidnapped a priest as well as some other church-goers, witnesses said.
Nigeria has experienced an upsurge in violence in recent months.
Kidnappings and attacks have been reported across the vast country.
No figures for the numbers killed or abducted in the attack during the Christian holiday of Pentecost have been officially confirmed.
But a doctor at a local hospital, quoted by the Reuters news agency, said that at least 50 bodies had been taken to two hospitals in the town.
After visiting the church and hospital, state lawmaker Ogunmolasuyi Oluwole told the Associated Press that children were among the dead.
One witness, who gave his name as Abayomi, told AFP news agency at least 20 worshipers had died in the attack.
“I was passing through the area when I heard a loud explosion and gunshots inside the church,” he said, adding that he saw at least five gunmen.
In a series of tweets, Ondo state Governor Rotimi Akeredolu called it a “vile and satanic attack” on innocent people. He appealed for calm urging people not to take the law into their own hands.
“The assailants will be hunted down and they will pay for their crimes,” he added in a message sent after being briefed at the scene.
In March, gunmen targeted the vital rail link between Abuja and the northern city of Kaduna killing at least nine people and kidnapping dozens of others, many of whom are still being held.
