“We denounce certain attitudes and behaviours of contempt that some compatriots hold towards the religious beliefs of others,” said Archbishop Goetbé Djitangar of N’Djamena, Chad’s capital. “What happened is not an isolated incident. . . . We wonder if the next place to be attacked will not be the cathedral.”

The north-central African nation of 16.9 million (map) is 58% Muslim, 35% Christian (20% Catholic), and 7% ethnic religionist.