CHARLESTON—Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone released a statement Aug. 24 expressing his sympathies to the family of the victim in the deadly restaurant shooting earlier that day, and announced that he would celebrate a special Mass.
The Mass for Peace and Justice will be held Sunday, Aug. 27, at 9 a.m. in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 120 Broad St.
“Once again we saw the loss of human life after an act of violence in our beloved city,” Bishop Guglielmone said in his statement. “On behalf of the Catholic faithful in South Carolina, I offer my deepest sympathies to the family of the victim.”
Charleston authorities said a fired dishwasher shot and killed a chef and held a person hostage before the suspect was shot by police at Virginia’s restaurant on King Street.
This was “yet another act of violence that has occurred in the past few weeks and has taken one or more innocent life, the others being the incidents in Charlottesville, Virginia and Barcelona, Spain,” the bishop said.
“Violence is never the answer to the difficulties we may face. As St.John Paul II said, ‘Violence and arms can never resolve the problems of men,’” Bishop Guglielmone said.
The bishop added that now, more than ever, people need to join together as a Christian community and pray for peace.
Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone”Together, we will offer prayers for the victim of today’s tragedy, as well as for racial reconciliation, peace in our world and all victims of violence,” he said. “Please consider joining me for this special liturgy. May God bless the Holy City, our nation and our world as we heal from these tragedies.”
