Declaring that their nation is “sick at a spiritual and moral level,” the bishops of Ivory Coast denounced the ritual sacrifice of children.

A report from the Reuters news agency linked a recent spate of child kidnappings and murders to a desire by some politicians to gain supernatural powers in view of an upcoming election.

“It is not uncommon to see sad and horrible mutilated bodies of albinos massacred, of desecrated graves, skeletons,” the bishops stated. “We cannot forget the sad fate of the children kidnapped, chained, imprisoned and kept in a state of extreme malnutrition, waiting to be ritually sacrificed by people in search of wealth, power, and authority.”

The West African nation of 24 million is 39% Muslim, 24% Catholic, and 9% Protestant, with numerous people retaining indigenous beliefs.

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