On a bright Sunday at the Vatican, as crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the weekly Angelus prayer, Pope Leo XIV’s voice rang out from his window above—a voice heavy with sorrow and urgency. The first U.S.-born leader of the Catholic Church prayed publicly for the victims of a devastating school shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and issued a forceful plea to end what he called the “pandemic of arms, large and small.”
“Our prayers for the victims of the tragic shooting during a school Mass in the American state of Minnesota,” Pope Leo said, switching from his customary Italian to English for this rare, somber address, according to Reuters. “We hold in our prayers the countless children killed and injured every day around the world. Let us plead God to stop the pandemic of arms, large and small, which infects our world.”
The pope’s words came just days after a harrowing attack at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis. On Wednesday, August 27, 2025, as hundreds of students gathered for a Mass marking the start of the school year, 23-year-old Robin Westman fired 116 rifle rounds through the church’s stained-glass windows. In the chaos that followed, two children—8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski—were killed, and 21 others were injured. Eighteen of the wounded were children between the ages of 6 and 15; three were elderly parishioners in their 80s. The shooter later died by suicide, leaving behind a manifesto and video referencing other mass shooters, as reported by Newsweek and local authorities.
Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Joe Thompson described the shooter’s motivation as a chilling desire to “kill children, defenseless children,” and noted that Westman “idolized some of the most notorious school shooters and mass murderers in our country’s history.” Minneapolis Police Chief O’Hara added that Westman’s writings revealed hate toward “almost every group imaginable,” including Black, Mexican, Christian, and Jewish people.
The violence sent shockwaves through Minneapolis and the broader faith community. Annunciation Church resumed Mass over the weekend, but the mood remained somber as families gathered at memorials and students braced for the start of classes under heightened security. Community leaders from multiple faiths called for a citywide vigil, hoping to foster unity and healing amid the grief.
Pope Leo XIV’s response to the tragedy was swift but measured. In the immediate aftermath, he refrained from political commentary, instead sending a telegram of condolence that focused on spiritual support. “He expressed sadness over the ‘terrible tragedy’ and extended his ‘heartfelt condolences and the assurance of spiritual closeness to all those affected,’” CBS News reported. But by Sunday, the pope’s tone shifted. Speaking to the world, he denounced the “logic of weapons” fueling not only the violence in Minneapolis but also wars and conflicts across the globe.
“It’s time that those responsible renounce the logic of weapons and take the path of negotiations and peace, with the support of the international community,” he declared, according to the Associated Press. “The voice of weapons must be silenced, while the voice of fraternity and justice must rise.” He demanded an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and called for a “serious commitment to dialogue” from the warring sides, reiterating the Vatican’s longstanding position against armed conflict.
Pope Leo’s appeal was not limited to the United States or Ukraine. He also prayed for migrants from Africa who died in a shipwreck off the coast of Mauritania just days earlier, highlighting the global toll of violence and displacement. “Our hearts are also wounded by the more than 50 people who died and around 100 still missing in the shipwreck of a vessel carrying migrants,” he said, according to Catholic News Service. “This deadly tragedy is repeated every day around the world.” He urged the world to “not give in to indifference but to draw near through prayer and concrete acts of charity.”
For many observers, Leo’s remarks echoed those of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who famously condemned the weapons industry as “merchants of death” during his 2015 address to the U.S. Congress. Francis had asked lawmakers why weapons were being sold “purely to kill,” answering, “Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood.” Pope Leo, while typically more cautious in his public appeals, did not mince words this time. His use of English—unusual for a pontiff who usually prefers Italian—underscored the gravity of the moment and his personal connection to the tragedy, as the first American to hold the papacy.
The Minnesota shooting has reignited fierce debate in the United States over gun laws and public safety. Supporters of stricter background checks and other gun control measures, often aligned with the Democratic Party, argue that repeated calls for “thoughts and prayers” from Republican politicians amount to a distraction from legislative inaction. The tragedy at Annunciation Catholic Church has only intensified calls for meaningful reform, as families and communities grapple with the trauma of yet another school shooting.
Meanwhile, the Catholic community in Minneapolis and beyond is left to mourn and seek solace. Annunciation Church has become a focal point for collective grief, with memorials springing up around the building and parishioners gathering to pray. Minneapolis public schools are set to open under increased security, a sobering reminder of the persistent threat of gun violence in American life.
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer, delivered in the shadow of St. Peter’s Basilica and broadcast to millions, was a call for compassion and action. “May our mother, Mary, the Queen of Peace, help us to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks,’” he said, invoking a vision of peace that feels, at times, heartbreakingly distant.
As the investigation into the Minneapolis shooting continues, and as communities around the world confront the realities of violence, the pope’s words linger: a plea for an end to the “pandemic of arms” and a challenge to all to raise the voice of fraternity and justice above the din of conflict. For many, the hope is that these words will not just echo through the halls of the Vatican, but inspire real change in the world beyond.
