Pope condemns Pakistan bombing as act of hate and war

Pope Francis on Sunday condemned a blast at a church in Pakistan that killed at least 78 people as an act of "hatred and war".

"Today, in Pakistan, because of a wrong choice, a decision of hatred, of war, there was an attack in which 70 people died. This choice cannot stand. It serves nothing. Only the path of peace can build a better world," he said in unprepared remarks at the end of a one-day trip to the city of Cagliari on the Italian island of Sardinia.

He then prayed with the crowd for the victims.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Kevin Liffey)