Vatican City, Dec 16, 2012 / 09:36 am
The Pope expressed sorrow over the Sandy Hook school shooting that massacred 20 children and offered prayers for the victims' families.
"I was deeply saddened by Friday's senseless violence in Newtown, Connnecticut," said Pope Benedict XVI Dec. 16.
"I assure the families of the victims, especially those who lost a child, of my closeness in prayer," he told thousands gathered at St. Peter's Square for the Angelus prayer.
"May the God of consolation touch their hearts and their ease pain," he said, adding that he "invoked God's blessings upon those affected by this tragedy."