Pope Benedict told visitors and pilgrims that he was deeply saddened by the news of the Christmas bombings and he offered his prayers "to all those who have been stricken by this absurd gesture."

"Once again I want to repeat: Violence is a path that leads only to pain, destruction and death; respect, reconciliation and love are the paths to peace," he said.

Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria's capital, told Vatican Radio that most Christians in Nigeria simply do not understand the reason for the bombings, but many of the young people are very angry.

"We have tried to calm them down," he said, but church leaders also have told the government that the only way bring stability is to "identify and eliminate the dens of these terrorist groups."

"The majority of Nigerians -- Muslims and Christians -- want to live in peace together," the archbishop said, pointing out that there were Muslims injured in the bombing of St. Theresa's. "They were not in the church, but were just passing by on the street," he said after visiting them in the hospital.

The head of the U.S. bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace wrote Archbishop Onaiyekan to express solidarity with Nigerian Christians.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the church in Nigeria at this time of loss and sorrow," said the Dec. 27 letter from Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa. "We pray that the New Year will bring peace to your beloved country."

In Nairobi, Kenya, Christmas Mass at Holy Family Basilica was interrupted when police asked Catholics to evacuate because a suspected terrorist was in the church. Kenyan military officers have been fighting with al-Shabab both in Somalia and the country, and security has been beefed up everywhere, including churches.