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2d ago

Pope Leo Calls to 'Stop the Pandemic of Arms' After Minneapolis Church Shooting

The U.S.-born pontiff framed the Minneapolis church shooting as part of a broader push to curb weapons proliferation worldwide.

Pope Leo XIV looks on, on the day of the weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican August 27, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo
Image
People gather as Pope Leo XIV delivers his blessing while he recites the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Leo XIV addresses the crowd from the window of the apostolic palace overlooking St.Peter's Square during his Sunday Angelus prayer at the Vatican. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images

Overview

  • In his Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo XIV switched to English to pray for the Minneapolis victims and urged an end to what he called the global 'pandemic of arms.'
  • He paired the appeal with a call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, urging leaders to renounce the 'logic of weapons' and pursue negotiations.
  • Authorities say the Aug. 27 attack at Annunciation Catholic Church killed two children and wounded 18 people as the gunman fired 116 rifle rounds through stained-glass windows.
  • Investigators recovered a rifle, shotgun and pistol, and are reviewing the suspect’s manifesto and anti-Christian writings as the FBI examines domestic-terrorism and hate-crime angles.
  • The parish resumed services over the weekend, and families identified the two children killed as 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski.