Pope Leo XIV Calls End to Pandemic of Arms After Minnesota School Shooting

Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, delivered a powerful plea to end the “pandemic of arms, large and small” during his Sunday blessing from St. Peter’s Square, responding to a tragic shooting at a Catholic school Mass in Minnesota that left two children dead and 20 people injured. He condemned the “logic of weapons” that fuels violence and wars globally, urging prayers to stop the proliferation of arms and calling for peace and negotiations, particularly highlighting the need to silence the “voice of weapons” in Ukraine. The shooting, where the attacker fired 116 rounds through stained-glass windows before dying by suicide, reignited the contentious debate over gun control in the United States, with Democrats advocating for stricter laws and criticizing Republican politicians for offering only “thoughts and prayers.” Pope Leo refrained from political commentary immediately after the attack, focusing on spiritual condolences, but his recent remarks echo the stance of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who condemned the arms industry as “merchants of death.” The Pope also invoked a biblical prophecy from Isaiah, calling for weapons to be transformed into peaceful tools, and appealed for international support to foster fraternity and justice over violence.