The pope was informed of the attack in Nice, in which three people were brutally murdered inside a church.
The Vatican spokesman said terrorism and violence must never be accepted, and he said Pope Francis remains “close to the mourning Catholic community.”
He also said the pope is praying “for victims and their loved ones; for an end to violence; so we can go back to considering each other as brothers and sisters and not as enemies; so that the beloved, French people unitedly react to evil with good.”
The French Bishops' Conference said it is “urgent to recover the indispensable fraternity that will sustain us in front of all these threats.”
The bishop of Nice has ordered that the city's churches be closed. They are now under police protection.
He also asked “that the spirit of forgiveness of Christ prevail in front of these barbaric acts.”
JMB
Translation: CT