Pope Francis close to victims of Serbia mass shootings occurring in two consecutive days, says the shooting is ‘senseless act of violence’
Pope Francis has expressed grief and closeness to the victims of two separate mass shootings in Serbia, leading up to the death of seventeen people, with about 14 wounded.
Vatican News reports Pope wrote a telegram he signed in place of the state’s Cardinal secretary, Pietro Parolin, to the Archbishop of Belgrade, Ladislav Német. The Holy Father expressed deep sadness over the shooting he describe as “senseless act of violence” while assuring victims of closeness in prayer. “[my] heartfelt condolences and the assurance of prayers to all those affected by these senseless acts of violence,” The Pontiff wrote.
In addition, Pope said he is “spiritually united with the human sorrow of those who mourn the death of the innocent victims whom he consigns to the loving embrace of the risen Lord.”
Serbia’s fatal shooting in two consecutive days has become a recent major cause of concern as the country’s president calls for ‘disarm’. On Wednesday, a young boy, identified to be 13, opened fire at his school in Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia, Killing according to police report, eight children, and a security guard. Just a day after the horrible incident, Serbia witnessed another mass shooting leading up to the death of eight people, with about 14 injured. The reason behind the massacre is still unknown.
“We’ve been walking around like zombies the last 24 hours, looking for a reason something like this could happen,” Aleksander Vucic, the president of Serbia, said.
After the second shooting, Vucic, vowed to disarm the nation, proposing gun-control measures. “We will carry out an almost total disarmament of Serbia,” said Vucic. “We must make a decision to confront this evil,” he added.