The murder of a Catholic priest in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been branded "abominable, abhorrent and infernal" by the Bishop of Goma.

Father Jean-Paul Kakule Kyalembera was fatally shot in the abdomen and head by machine gunfire as he closed the doors of Mweso parish church in North Kivu province on the evening of February 25.

After the incident, Bishop of Goma, Theophile Kaboy Ruboneka, said that he believed a local gang was responsible for the shooting. He told Fides news agency that numerous gangs "terrorize the population [in DRC] and there are too many weapons in circulation".

Nuns are often targeted with violence and extortion, and forced to pay large sums of money, he added. 15 priests and nuns have been killed since 1992. "The situation remains very dangerous."

Churches in Mweso have spoken out against criminal groups, which makes Father Kakue's death likely a revenge attack, the bishop has now suggested.

"The real motives for the murder are still unclear, however the presence of the Church in Mweso presents serious interference with the action of criminal groups who sow terror," he told Aid to the Church in Need.

"The assassination of Fr Jean Paul Kakule is an abominable, abhorrent and infernal act that we strongly condemn."

The bishop said that a lack of policing means gangs "can go about their evil business unhindered" and though North Kivu is more peaceful than it once was, there remains "a general climate of concern about the successive assassinations and kidnappings for ransom".

There are a number of militarised groups operating in the eastern regions of DRC, which contribute to the country's instability. Over 100 women and children were slaughtered in a wave of brutal attacks in Beni, North Kivu, last November. It is believed that Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) – a mainly Muslim Ugandan rebel group – was responsible for the attack.