Seitz, whose own diocese of El Paso suffered a mass shooting Aug. 3 in which 22 people were killed, offered in his Aug. 31 statement a petition that the Holy Spirit would "illumine our hearts and minds to reverence and respect God's extraordinary gift of life."
Several U.S. bishops took to Twitter Saturday to express dismay or call for prayer after the Texas shooting spree. Among them were Beaumont's Bishop Curtis Guillory and Washington's Archbishop Wilton Gregory.
Sis' statement addressed the surge in mass shootings experienced across the U.S. in recent months.
"There are no easy answers as to how to end this epidemic of gun violence in our state and our country. I ask the Lord to enlighten all of our hearts and minds, especially our government leaders, so that we can have the insight and the courage to move from a culture of death to a culture of life."
"Our local churches are committed to helping our community to heal from this senseless tragedy," he said. There are seven Catholic parishes in Odessa, and four in Midland.
After a spate of at least 3 deadly mass shootings within one week of each other in late July and early August, the U.S bishops' conference called for the passage of "responsible gun laws and increased resources for addressing the root causes of violence." The bishops' conference has repeatedly made such calls in the aftermath of mass shootings.
In their Aug. 4 statement the U.S. bishops urged President Donald Trump and members of Congress to "set aside political interests and find ways to better protect innocent life."
That statement also called Catholics to "increased prayer and sacrifice for healing and the end of these shootings,"
"We encourage Catholics to pray and raise their voices for needed changes to our national policy and national culture as well," the bishops said.
The bishops called mass shootings "an epidemic against life that we must, in justice, face."
This story is developing and will be updated.
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