The Catholic bishops of Guinea had long feared the sort of coup that shook the African country this week, the Fides news service notes. More than a year ago, Archbishop Vincent Coulibaly of Conakry had urged the government and its opponents to “immediately cease all forms of violence” and enter negotiations “to find a peaceful solution to the national crisis.”

Cardinal Robert Sarah visited his native Guinea in June, and spoke with both the outgoing president, Alpha Condé and his leading opponent, Cellou Dalein Diallo.