Grenade thrown at Philippine cathedral

(Jan.12,2010) In the Philippines, for the second time in three months, a grenade exploded in front of the Cathedral of Our Lady Mount Caramel of Jolo in the southern part of the country. No one was injured in the January 10 blast, which took place before the first Sunday morning Mass, though some of the cathedral windows were shattered. Immediately after the explosion of the bomb, the church authorities closed the building and suspended services. The police have increased security measures around the church. "We do not know the reasons for this attack - said Bishop Angelito Lampon of Sulu - but this event will not stop the Church's mission in Jolo" he added.
This is the third attack near the cathedral since October. The last occurred on 31 December and wounded two soldiers. Although there have been no claims so far, local police suspect that the Islamic rebels of Abu Sayyaf, an extremist group linked to al-Qaeda, are behind the attack. According to authorities the group aims to maintain a climate of tension among the population. While 81% of the nation’s 88.7 million people are Catholic, the Jolo area is heavily Muslim. Less than 3% of the area’s 1 million residents are Catholic. Jolo's previous Bishop Benjamin de Jesus, was slain in front of the cathedral in 1997.