Vatican City: Pope Francis has been shocked by the shooting attack that killed 21 people, including 19 children, in Texas. Expressing his deep sorrow at the single word ‘heartbreak’, the Pope reminded us that we must be committed to preventing such tragedies from happening again. The pope’s words were at the conclusion of a public visit last day. The pope offered his condolences to the bereaved children and their bereaved families.
‘The massacre at an elementary school in Texas breaks my heart. I pray for the children and adults who were killed in the attack and for all their families. It’s time to say no to indiscriminate arms smuggling. We must all be committed to preventing such tragedies from happening again, “said Pope Benedict XVI.
May 24 at 11.32am local time, a shooting occurred at Rob Primary School in Uvalda, 70 miles from San Antonio. The children killed were students in classes two, three and four. Two are teachers. The assailant rushed to the school with two guns and opened fire on oncoming onlookers. The killer, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, was shot dead by police at the scene.
The Texas attack comes just days before a shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killed at least 10 people. Responses are pouring in from all over the world, mourning the tragedy that has plagued the United States and the rest of the world. European leaders, including the prime ministers of Slovakia, Ireland and Finland, have expressed shock and condolences.
Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin has condemned the shooting, calling it a “terrible and shocking tragedy.” Slovakian Prime Minister Edward Heger has said he is “deeply saddened” by the loss of innocent children. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin expressed his condolences to the families of the victims: “My heart goes out to my loved ones who lost their children in the shooting,” Marin said.