Pope Francis is calling on the U.S. to take action against gun violence following the massacre of 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
The 85-year-old leader of the Catholic Church made the comments Wednesday during his weekly general audience at the Vatican in Rome.
"My heart is broken over the massacre at the primary school in Texas. I pray for the children and adults killed, and their families," the pope told the crowd, according to a translation provided by the Vatican.
"It is time to say “no more” to the indiscriminate trafficking of weapons," he added. "Let us all strive to ensure that such tragedies can never happen again."
His words were met by applause from the crowd, according to Reuters.
Prior to the Pope's address, Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio wrote on Twitter that Uvalde needed direct blessings.
"Holy Father Pope Francis, say some prayers for the souls of our little ones killed today and two teachers. Uvalde is in mourning. The families are having a very dark time. Your prayer will do good to them," he tweeted.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also issued a statement calling for lawmakers to take action against gun violence.
"There have been too many school shootings, too much killing of the innocent. Our Catholic faith calls us to pray for those who have died and to bind the wounds of others," spokesperson Chieko Noguchi said. "As we do so, each of us also needs to search our souls for ways that we can do more to understand this epidemic of evil and violence and implore our elected officials to help us take action."
Police say the victims were killed by an 18-year-old high school student who bought two "AR-style rifles" at a licensed shop May 17 and 20, just days before the attack.
President Joe Biden called for changes to gun laws while addressing the nation after the shooting.
"The idea that an 18-year-old kid can walk into a gun store and buy two assault weapons is just wrong. What in God's name do you need an assault weapon for except to kill someone? Deer aren’t running through the forest with Kevlar vests on, for God's sake," he said. "It's just sick."
Biden added that it's beyond time "to stand up to the gun lobby."
"When in God's name will we do what we all know in our gut needs to be done," he asked. "Gun manufacturers have spent two decades aggressively marketing assault weapons which make them the most and largest profit. For God's sake, we have to have the courage to stand up to the industry."
Biden ended by saying the U.S. needs to "turn this pain into action" and pass "commonsense gun laws."
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram