The archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis (United States), Mons. Bernard Hebda, issued a statement after the deadly shooting on Wednesday morning in the Annunciation Catholic School (Annunciation Catholic School), in southern Minneapolis.
“My heart is broken when thinking about students, teachers, clergy and parishioners, and in the horror they witnessed in a church, a place where we should feel safe,” Mons. Hebda wrote On Wednesday afternoon, hours after the police confirmed that two children died and 17 other people were injured in the attack.
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The Prelate expressed his gratitude to Pope Leo XIV, who sent his condolences after the attack, and all the people in the world who have offered prayers after the shooting occurred during a mass for students on Wednesday morning.
“I beg the continuous prayers of all the priests and faithful of this archdiocese, as well as those of all men and women of good will,” he added, “so that the healing that only God can bring is spilled on all those who were present at the Mass this morning, and in particular about the affected families that barely begin to understand the trauma they have suffered.”
The archbishop entrusted the souls of the two deceased children to God by intercession of Our Lady, Queen of Peace, and asked to end armed violence, which he described as “too common.”
He also recalled that the shooting at the Annunciation school occurred just 24 hours after another firearms attack near the Cristo Jesuit High School, where a dead and six injured were reported on Tuesday.
“Our community is precisely outraged by these horrible acts of violence perpetrated against vulnerable and innocent,” Hebda wrote.
“Although we must commit to work to prevent the repetition of such tragedies, we also need to remind us that we have a God of peace and love, and that it will be his love what we will need most to strive to welcome those who are deeply injured,” he added.
The Prelate revealed that Archdiocesan staff currently works with the parish and school to “ensure that they have the support and resources they need at this time and later.”
A Mass is scheduled for 7:00 pm (local time) at the Academy of Saints Angels in Richfield, Minnesota.
“We must be men and women of hope,” said Mons. Hebda in a press conference Wednesday afternoon. While talking, he resumed a church bell in the background.
“A bell in the Catholic Church is always a call to prayer,” he continued, adding: “And we must recognize that it is through prayer … that we can really make a difference. That must be the source of our hope.”
For his part, the director of the FBI, Kash Patel, announced in a publication on social networks on Wednesday afternoon that the shooting is being investigated “as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime against Catholics.” He also confirmed the identity of the attacker as Robin Westman, a trans man who identified himself as a woman and whose birth name was Robert Westman.
Updates on the shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota:
The FBI is investigating this shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.
There were 2 fatalities, an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old. In addition, 14 children and 3 adults were injured.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) August 27, 2025
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, ordered that the US flags in the White House, throughout the country and in all embassies, legations, consulates and other facilities abroad wave half -mast until the sunset of August 31, “as a sign of respect for the victims” of the deadly shooting.
Translated and adapted by ACI Press. Originally published in CNA.
Low Elhabbal
Madalaine Elhabbal is a CNA journalist based in the Washington DC office in EWTN. He has published articles in Catholicvote and has also worked as a foreign language assistant in France. She is a graduate of Benedictine College.