VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis offered condolences Wednesday to the Nashville school devastated by a deadly shooting, condemning the “senseless act of violence” and urging the community to have faith faced with “unspeakable evil”.
A telegram signed by Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said the pope was “deeply saddened” by the shooting on Monday, in which a former student killed three staff and three young children.
“His Holiness Pope Francis asks you to convey his heartfelt condolences and the assurance of his prayers to all affected by this senseless act of violence,“ the telegram addressed to the bishop of Nashville said.
The pope “joins the entire community in mourning the children and adults who died and commends them to the loving embrace of the Lord Jesus”.
Regarding the families of the victims, he also “prays that they will be confirmed in their faith in the power of the risen Lord to heal every hurt and to bring good out of unspeakable evil”, it added. - AFP