On Sunday, August 31, 2025, the heart of Vatican City pulsed with a message both somber and urgent as Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff, addressed thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square. His words, delivered in his native English, echoed far beyond the cobblestones of Rome, resonating with a world grappling with violence, war, and the tragic loss of innocent lives. The pope’s call for an end to what he termed the “pandemic of arms, large and small” came just days after a harrowing school shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota—a tragedy that has reignited global debate over gun violence and the proliferation of weapons.
“Let us plead God to stop the pandemic of arms, large and small, which infects our world,” Pope Leo XIV implored, his voice carrying across the square and, thanks to modern media, into millions of homes worldwide. According to FOX 9, Leo’s remarks came during the traditional Sunday Angelus prayer, where he paused to pray for the victims of the attack at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. The shooting, which occurred on August 27, claimed the lives of two children—eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and ten-year-old Harper Moyski—and left 20 others injured as they attended a Mass marking the start of the school year.
The details of the attack are chilling. According to Associated Press and FOX 9, the shooter, later identified as Robin Westman, approached the church dressed in black, armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. Without entering the building, Westman fired 116 rifle rounds and several shotgun shells through the church’s stained-glass windows, targeting children and parishioners gathered inside. The violence ended only when the shooter died by suicide in the parking lot, but its aftermath has sent shockwaves through both the local community and the broader public.
“Our prayers for the victims of the tragic shooting during a school Mass in the American state of Minnesota,” Leo said, as quoted by Reuters and SAN. “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.”
Pope Leo’s remarks mark the first time he has addressed gun control publicly since his election in May. According to CNN, while Leo refrained from immediate political commentary in the shooting’s aftermath—sending a telegram of condolence that focused on spiritual healing—his Sunday address signaled a shift. He condemned the “logic of weapons” fueling not only individual acts of violence but also wars and conflicts across the globe.
His message, however, was not limited to the tragedy in Minnesota. Leo broadened his prayers to include “the countless children killed and injured every day around the world,” referencing, according to America Magazine, over 18,000 Palestinian children killed since October 7, 2023, in Gaza, and approximately 3,000 children killed or injured in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. The pope’s words underscored the universality of the suffering caused by weapons—large and small, in war zones and peaceful communities alike.
“Sadly, the war in Ukraine continues to sow death and destruction,” Leo said, as reported by America Magazine. “Even in recent days, bombings have struck several cities, including the capital Kyiv, causing numerous casualties. I renew my closeness to the Ukrainian people and to all the injured families. I ask everyone not to give in to indifference, but to draw close to them through prayer and concrete gestures of charity.”
Leo’s call for peace was unequivocal. “I strongly reiterate my urgent appeal for an immediate ceasefire and a serious commitment to dialogue. Now is the time for those responsible to renounce the logic of weapons and take the path of negotiation and peace, with the support of the international community,” he declared. “The voice of weapons must be silenced, while the voice of fraternity and justice must be raised.”
His words drew on the legacy of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who had famously denounced the arms industry as “merchants of death.” During a 2015 speech before the U.S. Congress, Francis had asked bluntly why weapons were 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.” Leo’s remarks, while less pointed politically, carried the same moral urgency.
In the wake of the Minneapolis shooting, the debate over guns in America has flared anew. According to CNN, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago—a close ally of Leo—issued a statement arguing, “Guns are plentiful and common sense attempts to limit their availability have been largely rejected in the name of a freedom not found in our constitution.” The statement echoes the frustration of many advocates for stricter background checks and gun control, who argue that expressions of “thoughts and prayers” from politicians often serve as a distraction from meaningful action.
Leo’s own social media history, as noted by CNN, reveals sympathy for these views. Before his election as pope, a now-deleted account attributed to him had reposted statements advocating for stronger gun control and increased access to mental health care following previous mass shootings in the United States. Yet, as pope, Leo has so far chosen to frame his appeals in spiritual and moral terms, perhaps reflecting the delicate balance required by his global office.
The pope’s Sunday address also touched on other recent tragedies, including the deaths of more than 50 migrants in a shipwreck off the Atlantic coast of Mauritania on August 29. “This deadly tragedy is repeated every day all over the world,” Leo lamented, urging societies to “fully put into practice his words: ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me’ (Mt 25:35).” He entrusted “all our injured, missing and dead, everywhere, to our Savior’s loving embrace.”
As he concluded, Leo reminded the faithful that September 1 marks the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, a tradition begun by Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I a decade ago. “This is now more important and urgent than ever,” Leo said, highlighting this year’s theme: “Seeds of Peace and Hope.” He encouraged Catholics worldwide to celebrate the “Season of Creation” until October 4, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, and to “renew our commitment not to ruin his gift but to care for our common home.”
Pope Leo XIV’s appeal, delivered in the shadow of tragedy, was a call not only for prayer but for a profound rethinking of how societies respond to violence, war, and the suffering of the innocent. His words, at once mournful and hopeful, challenge the world to silence the voice of weapons and raise the voice of justice and fraternity instead.
