May 25, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Pope Francis calls for action on guns after Texas shooting

Noah Garfinkel

Pope Francis addressing congregants at his audience on Wednesday — Pope Francis addresses worshippers during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square in The Vatican on May 25. Photo: Tiziana Fabi/AFP via Getty Images

Pope Francis on Wednesday said his "heart is broken" over the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and he made a plea to stop the "trafficking of weapons."

Driving the news: The gunman killed 19 students and two teachers in a single classroom Tuesday in one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.

"Let us all strive to ensure that such tragedies can never happen again," Francis said on Wednesday during his weekly general audience.

Cardinal Cupich of Chicago called for new gun legislation in a long Twitter thread Wednesday, arguing "we know that gun safety measures make a difference."

"As I reflect on this latest American massacre, I keep returning to the questions: Who are we as a nation if we do not act to protect our children? What do we love more: our instruments of death or our future?" Cupich wrote.
"The Second Amendment did not come down from Sinai. The right to bear arms will never be more important than human life. Our children have rights too. And our elected officials have a moral duty to protect them." he wrote.

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Pope Francis calls for action on guns after Texas shooting

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