The Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is asking for continued prayers after a shooter claimed the lives of two young children at a Catholic school on Wednesday.
The tragedy unfolded just before 8:30am local time during a Mass at Annunciation Catholic School, Minneapolis, to mark the beginning of the brand new school term.
The shooting left an eight 12 months old and 10 12 months old dead, and one other 17 people injured, including 14 kids and three parishioners of their 80s.
The shooter is reported to have shot through the stained glass windows of the college’s chapel before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The suspect has been named by law enforcement as 23-year-old Robin Westman. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that Westman was born Robert and later identified as Robin, undergoing a legal name change in 2019.
Patel said on X, “The FBI is investigating this shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said police were “aware of a manifesto the shooter had timed to be released on YouTube”.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda expressed thanks for the messages of support and prayers which have are available from around the globe, including from Pope Leo.
He asked people to proceed to wish for healing for everybody affected by Wednesday’s “senseless violence”.
“My heart is broken as I take into consideration students, teachers, clergy and parishioners and the horror they witnessed in a Church, a spot where we should always feel protected,” he said.
He said that the “sadness” and “pain and anger” felt by the community had only been compounded by the tragedy coming so soon after one other fatal shooting in Minneapolis. A day earlier, an unknown shooter opened fire on people standing across the road from the Cristo Rey High School, killing one and injuring six more.
The Archbishop continued, “We need an end to gun violence. Our community is rightfully outraged at such horrific acts of violence perpetrated against the vulnerable and innocent. They are far too commonplace.
“While we want to commit to working to stop the reoccurrence of such tragedies, we also have to remind ourselves that we now have a God of peace and of affection, and that it’s his love that we’ll need most as we try to embrace those that are hurting so deeply.”
Pope Leo has spoken of his “profound sorrow” over the “terrible tragedy”.
In a telegram sent to Archbishop Hebda on Wednesday, the Pope expressed “his heartfelt condolences and the reassurance of spiritual closeness to all those affected by this terrible tragedy, especially the families now grieving the lack of a toddler”.
 The Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is asking for...){kind=link}