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 start of the new school term.
The shooting left an eight year old and 10 year old dead, and another 17 people injured, including 14 kids and three parishioners in their 80s.
The shooter is reported to have shot through the stained glass windows of the school'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 that have come in from around the world, including from Pope Leo.
He asked people to continue to pray for healing for everyone affected by Wednesday's "senseless violence".
"My heart is broken as I think about students, teachers, clergy and parishioners and the horror they witnessed in a Church, a place where we should feel safe," 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 another 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 need to commit to working to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies, we also need to remind ourselves that we have a God of peace and of love, and that it is his love that we will need most as we strive to embrace those who 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 assurance of spiritual closeness to all those affected by this terrible tragedy, especially the families now grieving the loss of a child".
