Six people, including the priest, were killed when a Protestant church in northern Burkina Faso was attacked on Sunday.
Gunmen opened fire on the congregation at the end of the Sunday service. In addition to the pastor, two of his sons and three other worshippers were killed, BBC Africa reports. AFP news agency said two people were missing.
It came just one week after deadly attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka in which 253 people died, and one day after an attack on a synagogue in California left one person dead.
The attack in Burkina Faso occurred in the small town of Silgadji near Djibo, the capital of Soum province. It is the latest in a spate of deadly attacks to have hit the country in the last year.
The suspects reportedly arrived at the church on motorbikes and are believed to have fled north to the Mali border.
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit said the display of hatred was "shocking".
He condemned the attack, saying that it was "tragic" that people could die just for worshipping together.
"We mourn and we pray with the families and friends of those who were attending church on Sunday," Dr Tveit said.
"We will not be deterred by extremist violence and intolerance. We will respond with the kind of love that transforms communities and transcends hate."
