Pope Leo XIV demands end to arms crisis after school shooting
- A shooting at the Church of Annunciation in Minneapolis resulted in two children dead and twenty others injured.
- Pope Leo XIV publicly called for an end to the 'pandemic of arms' while praying for the victims.
- The shooting raised significant concerns about gun control and the implications of violence in American society.
In the United States, a tragic shooting occurred on August 27, 2025, at the Church of Annunciation in Minneapolis during a school Mass. This incident resulted in the deaths of two children, Fletcher Merkel, aged 8, and Harper Moysk, aged 10, while injuring 20 others as they gathered for the beginning of the school year. The shooter fired 116 rounds of rifle ammunition through the church's stained-glass windows before taking his own life. The attack raised several pressing issues regarding gun control, mental health, and the prevalence of violence in American society. Pope Leo XIV, who was elected earlier in May, made his first public comments on the issue. He addressed the incident from St. Peter's Square during the weekly Sunday Angelus prayer, emphasizing the urgent need to address the ongoing cycle of violence fueled by weapons. He referred to this phenomenon as a