Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Gerard O’ConnellNovember 07, 2017
Isaac Hernandez and his wife Crystal visit a line of crosses before a vigil for the victims of the First Baptist Church shooting, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)Isaac Hernandez and his wife Crystal visit a line of crosses before a vigil for the victims of the First Baptist Church shooting, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Pope Francis was “deeply grieved by the news of the loss of life and grave injuries caused by an act of senseless violence” at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Tex., and sends his “heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the wounded.”

The Vatican made this known today and said the secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, sent a telegram on the pope’s behalf to the archbishop of San Antonio, Gustavo Garcia-Siller.

Pope Francis sent his “heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the wounded.”

It said the pope asked the archbishop “kindly to convey his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the wounded, to the members of the congregation, and to the entire local community.”

At least 26 people were killed and some 20 more wounded in last Sunday's shooting at the church in Sutherland Springs, a small town east of San Antonio. The victims ranged in age from 5 to 72 years old and included Annabelle Pomeroy, the 14-year-old daughter of the church’s pastor, Frank Pomeroy, who was out of town at the time of the killing.

The killer was named as Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, a white man and former member of the U.S. Airforce, who was wearing black tactical gear and a ballistic vest when he pulled into a gas station across from the church and started shooting.

Pope Francis, the message said, also “asks the Lord Jesus Christ to console all who mourn and to grant them the spiritual strength that triumphs over violence and hatred by the power of forgiveness, hope and reconciling love.”

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
honomo12 gorg
7 years 6 months ago

Earn easy cash online from home. I have received $18638 last month from this easy online job. I am a full time college student and just working for 2 to 3 hrs daily. Super easy and cool job and earnings are impressive. Every person must have to try this job now and start making cash onlin by follow this link now.....

..... www.jobstoday60.com

Eileen Malloy
7 years 6 months ago

What about the Muslim "migrants" who terrorize and kill hundreds of people each year with trucks? The drug epidemic in the United States is a bigger issue than mentally ill mass shooters, statistically speaking. At least Trump cares, not sure about many others though.

tenipasej tenipasej12
7 years 6 months ago

Received my 3rd paycheck of $17593 last month by working online from home. I have made this income by working online from home within just one month. Every month i got paychecks like this. Super cool job and earnings are impressive. Everybody can makes more dollars online now by follow this link.....

..... www.jobstoday60.com

The latest from america

Rev. Paul Nicholson, S.J., begins his homily for the Ascension with a striking image from Medieval art: Jesus’ feet dangling in the air, his body swallowed by clouds.
PreachMay 27, 2025
In an interview with America's Gerard O'Connell, Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington said that Pope Leo XIV would "carry forward" the legacy of Pope Francis' pontificate "in its essential elements."
Gerard O’ConnellMay 27, 2025
Pope Leo's quotation of Augustine after his election contains within it an important theological point about the nature of the episcopacy. The quotation signals Leo XIV’s approach to his role as bishop of Rome.
Volunteers serve food provided by the Emergency Assistance Department of Chicago Catholic Charities on Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (OSV News photo/Jim Young, Reuters)
Despite widespread food insecurity, federal nutrition programs are under threat. The Catholic Church must step up its campaign against hunger at both the parish and national levels.
Bianca BlancheMay 27, 2025