Hugs and tears preceded a service the evening of Aug. 27 to mourn and pray for those killed and injured after a shooting earlier in the day at a Minneapolis Catholic elementary school.

A security expert told OSV News that parishes and churches can take several key steps to reduce the threat of attacks such as the deadly Aug. 27 shooting during a school Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis.

Pope Leo XIV joined his brother bishops and fellow Americans in the U.S. in expressing condolences following a deadly mass shooting that took place Aug. 27 at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis shortly after the start of the school day during an all-school Mass at the adjacent Annunciation Catholic Church.

Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda told media Aug. 27 that prayers offered from around the United States and world, including from Pope Leo XIV, have been “a source of hope” following that morning’s mass shooting during Mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis that left two children dead and 17 other victims injured.

Even in countries with the strictest separation of church and state, being a Christian means living and acting like one, Pope Leo XIV told a group of politicians and civic leaders from France.