“I am close to each family and the entire French nation which is in mourning.”
Pope Francis said this to the faithful in St. Peter’s Square Sunday during his Angelus address, as he reflected on the horrific terrorist attack.
During a Bastille Day celebration Thursday evening, in the French city of Nice, a terrorist of Franco-Tunisian descent drove a truck into the crowds that had been watching. The attack claimed 84 lives, and wounded dozens, leaving at least 15 -18 in critical condition. After traveling two kilometers, eventually the driver was killed in a shootout with the police
After saying the midday prayer, the Pope said, «The pain of the massacre Thursday evening in Nice, in which many innocent lives were ‘mowed down,’ including many children, is alive in our hearts.»
«May God, the good Father, welcome all the victims into His peace, sustain the injured and comfort their families; May He dissolve every project of terror and death, so that man no longer dares to spill his brother’s blood.»
The Pope offered a «fatherly and brotherly embrace» to all the inhabitants of Nice and the whole French nation, and called on those present to pray in silence and then join him in saying a Hail Mary.
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full Text: https://zenit.org/articles/popes-appeals-greetings-after-angelus-prayer/
Pope Sends Telegram After Nice Attack: https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-sends-telegram-for-tragedy-in-nice/
