Liberia Mourns U.S. Nuns; Archbishop Blames Rebels

The archbishop of Monrovia led hundreds of people Sunday in praying for five slain American nuns whose bodies lay unrecovered in a battle zone four miles from the center of this besieged capital.

Also Sunday, two rockets hit homes about half a mile from an airfield, killing a mother and her 5-year-old son. Six others were wounded.

In this western African country, rebels loyal to Charles Taylor have been battling for control for nearly three years, overrunning all but Monrovia.

Archbishop Michael Francis blamed rebels for killing the nuns, saying, “They call themselves freedom fighters, but they kill innocent people. . . . We pray for those liars.”

He did not specifically identify Taylor’s fighters, although he previously said Taylor’s men control the area where the nuns died.

Taylor insisted that his men do not control the area around the convent. There are several armed factions in the area, including rebels opposed to Taylor.

At the Vatican, Pope John Paul II said he hoped the nuns’ deaths might somehow inspire “all who can influence the fate of that martyred country” to stop the fighting in Liberia, a nation founded by freed American slaves.

At least 13 people have been killed in the last week. No count was available of casualties among rebel groups.