Pope Francis has condemned the killing of 16 people, including four Catholic nuns, at a home for the elderly in southern Yemen.
He called the attack in Aden an 'act of senseless and diabolical violence'.
Officials and witnesses said gunmen entered the facility run by a charity established by Mother Teresa and handcuffed the victims before shooting them in the head.
Unidentified gunmen stormed a retirement home run by Catholic nuns in the southern city of Aden on Friday
Pope Francis called the attack in Aden an 'act of senseless and diabolical violence'
Yemeni security forces gather outside the elderly care home after it was attacked
The attackers allegedly pretended they were visiting their mothers to get access to the home.
A nun who survived and was rescued by locals said that she hid inside a fridge in a storeroom after hearing a Yemeni guard shouting, 'Run, run.'
Two of the nuns killed were Rwandan, one was Indian and one was from Kenya, the Vatican said in a statement. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, although Yemeni officials have blamed the Islamic State.
Pope Francis 'prays that this pointless slaughter will awaken consciences, lead to a change of heart, and inspire all parties to lay down their arms and take up the path of dialogue', Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said.
'He sends the assurance of his prayers for the dead and his spiritual closeness to their families and to all affected from this act of senseless and diabolical violence.'
Sunita Kumar, a spokeswoman for the Missionaries of Charity in the Indian city of Kolkata, said the members of the charity were 'absolutely stunned' at the killing.
'The Sisters were to come back but they opted to stay on to serve people' in Yemen, she added.
The bodies were transferred to a police station and then a hospital run by the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) aid organization.
An unnamed Yemeni presidency source in Riyadh said that those behind such 'treacherous terrorist acts' are individuals who have 'sold themselves to the devil,' in a statement on the official sabanew.net website.
Pro-government Yemeni fighters loyal to exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi gather outside the retirement home
Pro-government Yemeni fighters loyal to exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi gather outside the retirement home
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), also known as Ansar al-Sharia, denied 'any links to the attack on the elderly care home'.
Aden descended into lawlessness after a Saudi-led coalition recaptured the city from Shiite Houthi rebels last summer.
Yemen's civil war has split the country in two. The northern region, where Shiite rebels are in control, has been struck by an extensive air campaign by a Saudi-led coalition.
The southern region, which is controlled by the internationally-recognized government backed by Saudi Arabia, is suffering from a power and security vacuum.
ISIS and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have taken advantage of the war to gain ground in the country.
More than 6,000 people have been killed and 2.4 million people displaced in Yemen's war.
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