Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on August 31, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GooglePope Leo urges an end to the 'pandemic of arms' after a tragic Minnesota school shooting, marking a rare English address.
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Leo, the first U.S.-born leader of the global Catholic Church, prayed on Sunday that God would "stop the pandemic of arms" after a mass shooting on August 27 at a Minnesota Catholic school that killed two children.
"Our prayers (go) for the victims of the tragic shooting during a school Mass in the American state of Minnesota," Leo, speaking in English, said in a weekly prayer with crowds in St. Peter's Square.
"Let us plead God to stop the pandemic of arms large and small, which infects our world," said the pope.
Leo was elected pope by the world's cardinals in May after the death of the late Pope Francis. He has shown a different style to his predecessor, rarely speaking off the cuff and usually preferring a more cautious tone in his public appeals.
Sunday's appeal was also a rare instance of the pope addressing a world event in his native English. Leo usually prefers to use Italian, the language of the papacy.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Pope Leo prayed for God to 'stop the pandemic of arms' following a mass shooting in Minnesota.
The shooting occurred during a school Mass in Minnesota on August 27.
Pope Leo prefers a more formal approach, rarely speaking off the cuff, unlike Pope Francis.
Pope Leo addressed the crowd in English, which is a rare occurrence for him.
Pope Leo was elected by the world's cardinals in May after the death of Pope Francis.
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