{"id":1843,"date":"2012-12-16T16:36:00","date_gmt":"2012-12-16T16:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/pope-deeply-saddened-by-connecticut-shooting\/"},"modified":"2012-12-16T16:36:00","modified_gmt":"2012-12-16T16:36:00","slug":"pope-deeply-saddened-by-connecticut-shooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/pope-deeply-saddened-by-connecticut-shooting\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope ‘deeply saddened’ by Connecticut shooting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Vatican City, Dec 16, 2012 \/ 09:36 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- The Pope expressed sorrow over the Sandy Hook school shooting that massacred 20 children and offered prayers for the victims' families.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI was deeply saddened by Friday's senseless violence in Newtown, Connnecticut,\u201d said Pope Benedict XVI Dec. 16.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI assure the families of the victims, especially those who lost a child, of my closeness in prayer,\u201d he told thousands gathered at St. Peter's Square for the Angelus prayer.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cMay the God of consolation touch their hearts and their ease pain,\u201d he said, adding that he \u201cinvoked God's blessings upon those affected by this tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tMarking the third Sunday of Advent, Pope Benedict spoke of the compatibility of love and\u00a0 justice.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cJustice and charity are not opposed, but both are necessary and complement each other,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

\tHe stated that the gospel of Gaudete Sunday talks again about John the Baptist, who was at the Jordan River baptizing people and preparing them for the coming of Jesus.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cJustice calls to overcome the imbalance between those who have too much and those who lack basic necessities,\u201d he said looking out from his window of the Apostolic Palace.<\/p>\n

\tHe noted that \u201ccharity urges us to be attentive to each other and face their needs, instead of finding excuses to defend one's own interests.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cLove will always be necessary, even in the most just society, because there will always be situations of material need where help is indispensable in the form of concrete love of one's neighbor,\u201d added the Pontiff.<\/p>\n

\tThe 85-year-old then blessed children from the Centro Oratori Romani, an association of lay catechists who promote pastoral public speaking in Rome, and their Baby Jesus statues, that will be taken later to schools, homes and parishes.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI give a special greeting to the children who came to Rome for the traditional blessing of the Baby Jesus,\u201d said Pope Benedict.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cAs I bless the little statues of Jesus that you will put in your crib, I cordially bless each of you and your families as well as those from Centro Oratori Romani,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\tPope Benedict said that John the Baptist gave three answers to people who asked him how they should prepare for the coming of Jesus.<\/p>\n

\tThe first was \u201che who has two coats, let him share with him who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe second answer John the Baptist gives is for tax collectors to change jobs.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe prophet, in God's name, doesn't ask for exceptional gestures, but the honest fulfillment of duty above all,\u201d said the Pope.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe first step to eternal life is always keeping the commandments and in this case it's the seventh, thou shall not steal,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

\tJohn the Baptist gives a third order to prepare for the coming of the Messiah, which is to not abuse power that has been given to you.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cAgain, the conversion starts with honesty and respect towards others, an indication that applies to everyone and especially for those with more responsibility,\u201d said Pope Benedict.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThings would be much better in our complex world if everyone observed these rules of conduct,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vatican City, Dec 16, 2012 \/ 09:36 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- The Pope expressed sorrow over the Sandy Hook school shooting that massacred 20 children and offered prayers for the victims' families.<\/p>\n

\t“I was deeply saddened by Friday's senseless…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vatican"],"yoast_head":"\nPope 'deeply saddened' by Connecticut shooting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vatican City, Dec 16, 2012 \/ 09:36 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- 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...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/pope-deeply-saddened-by-connecticut-shooting\/\" \/>\n<meta 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