Nashville residents held a vigil Wednesday afternoon to mourn the three children and three adults killed in a shooting at a Christian school, as Pope Francis sent his condolences to the bereaved city and offered prayers of support for those affected by the violence.
In a telegram, the pope asked Bishop J. Mark Spalding of the Catholic Diocese of Nashville to send his “heartfelt condolences” and assure residents that he is with them in his prayers.
The pope “joins the entire community in mourning the children and adults who died and commends them to the loving embrace of Jesus the Lord,” said the telegram, which was sent by the Vatican’s secretary of state on behalf of the pontiff.
Police say a 28-year-old former student arrived at The Covenant School Monday morning, burst with bullets the glass doors and gunned down three 9-year-old children, a guard, a substitute teacher and the school principal. Authorities have not determined the attacker’s motive, but say he was not looking for a particular person.
The mayor of Nashville John Cooper He stated in a press release that the vigil on Wednesday afternoon will be “to mourn and honor the lives of the victims, and to support the survivors and families.” Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake and other officials are expected to speak at the event.
Authorities have identified the deceased children as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. The deceased adults were Katherine Koonce, 60 and the director of the campus; substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61; and guard Mike Hill, 61.
The event has caused a shower of messages and proclamations of support.
“There have been countless prayer meetings and weeping for relief and comfort,” said Pastor George Grant, a Nashville Presbytery leader with ties to the school.
“While politicians and commentators try to find meaning where there is none, we are not asking why. We know why. It is because we live in a broken and failed world,” she expressed.
In a blog post Wednesday, Grant recalled how reports of the shooting disrupted a presbytery planning meeting that included Chad Scruggs, a pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church and father of one of the victims.
“We all went out into the hallway, stunned, our eyes full of confusion, horror and pain (…) Our worst nightmare was now reality,” Grant wrote.