Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
A woman reacts after identifying the body of a loved one at Sri Uthai temple in Na Klang, Thailand.A woman reacts after identifying the body of a loved one at Sri Uthai temple in Na Klang, Thailand, Oct. 7, 2022, following a mass shooting in Uthai Sawan. A former police officer facing a drug charge burst into the daycare center Oct. 6, killing more than 30 people, including preschoolers, in the deadliest rampage in the nation's history. (CNS photo/Athit Perawongmetha, Reuters)

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Francis said he was “deeply saddened” after hearing the news of one of the world’s worst mass shootings at a daycare center in northeast Thailand.

In a message sent Oct. 7 by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, the pope offered prayers for the victims “of the horrific attack” that claimed the lives of 36 people, including at least 24 children, Oct. 6.

The pope “offers his heartfelt condolences and the assurance of his spiritual closeness to all those affected by this act of unspeakable violence against innocent children,” the cardinal wrote.

According to an AP report Oct. 7, Panya Kamrap, a former policeman, went to the daycare, where his child was enrolled but had been absent for the past month, before going on a shooting and stabbing rampage. He then went home where he shot and killed his wife and child before turning the gun on himself.

Authorities said Kamrap was dismissed from the police force earlier this year after a drug charge against him and that he was scheduled to appear in court Oct. 7 to face that charge, Reuters reported.

Cardinal Parolin said the pope prayed that God may grant “divine healing and consolation” to the grieving families and the injured.

Pope Francis “prays that, in this hour of immense sadness, they may draw support and strength from the solidarity of their neighbors and fellow citizens,” Cardinal Parolin wrote. “Upon all the beloved Thai people, the Holy Father invokes the blessings of peace and perseverance in every good.”

The latest from america

“One of the things I find most appealing about the award-winning writer and poet Mary Karr is her forthright, almost brutal, honesty.”
James Martin, S.J.July 01, 2025
Pope Leo XIV urged new archbishops to help him foster unity in a church rich in diversity. Eight of those new archbishops are from the United States, and they spoke to Catholic News Service about how they can help promote fraternity in today’s polarized world.
This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley chat with Christopher White about his new book, ‘Pope Leo XVI: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy.’
JesuiticalJune 30, 2025
Kerry Weber, incoming president of the Catholic Media Association, and executive editor of America Magazine, speaks June 26, 2025, during the Catholic Media Conference in Phoenix. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)
Kerry Weber is an executive editor for America. On May 20, 2025, the Catholic Media Association announced that she was elected president,
Grace LenahanJune 30, 2025