Pope Francis, Sweden’s cardinal mourn victims of deadly mass shooting

Pope Francis said he was “deeply saddened” by the tragic shooting in a Swedish school, sending “assurance of his spiritual closeness to all affected by this traumatic incident,” in which 10 students of an adult education centre lost their lives.

The 5 February telegram, signed by the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said that the pontiff “offers prayers for the repose of the souls of those who have died,” as well as “consolation of their grieving families and friends, and for the speedy recovery of the injured” in the 4 February attack in which the gunman took his own life after the rampage.

As the pope invoked upon the Swedish people “Almighty God’s gifts of unity and peace,” Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm lamented the rise of violence in Sweden after 11 people, including a gunman, were killed in the deadliest mass shooting in the country’s history 4 February.

In a statement published 5 February, the cardinal said the country’s Catholics mourned “the victims of the violent act in Örebro,” a northern city located roughly 120 miles west of Stockholm.

“Violence and shootings only seem to increase and increase,” the cardinal said. “We ask for God’s help so that goodness and harmony may prevail in our country.”

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Stockholm said that the cardinal, who is in Rome for the Jubilee pilgrimage sponsored by the Nordic bishops’ conference, will return to Sweden 6 February.

“This coming Sunday, we (will) pray in all our churches for those who have been killed and for God’s mercy,” the cardinal said.

The cardinal’s statement included a message from St Eskil’s Church, a Catholic parish in Örebro, saying it would remain open for personal prayers and celebrate an evening Mass 5 February to “pray for our city and those affected by Tuesday’s events.”

Although police were still investigating, local media reported that a masked man entered the Campus Risbergska, an adult education centre, and opened fire 4 February in the afternoon, killing 10 people before turning the gun on himself.

Police have yet to identify the shooter but described him as a 35-year-old male “not known to police.” Investigators also warned of false information on social media regarding the shooter’s motives, which are currently unknown.

The shooter, police said, was a resident of Örebro with no prior criminal convictions and a valid weapons license.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden called the shooting a “terrible atrocity” he learned about with “sadness and dismay” and expressed his condolences to the victims, as well as thanking police and first-responders “who worked intensively to save and protect human lives on this dark day.”

At a press conference hours after the shooting, Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said the shooting “has shaken our society to its core.”

“It is something that one would have read about with horror in other countries but would never think it would happen in Sweden,” he said.

While such shootings are rare, Cardinal Arborelius’ concerns echoed those of many in the country due to a sharp increase in gang-related violence. According to a 2024 study published by the Nordic Journal of Criminology, Sweden is the only country in Europe that has seen a continuous increase in gun violence since 2005.

“Today, Sweden appears to have the highest rate of firearm homicides against men and young adults among the examined European Union countries and lies above the European average for homicide in general,” the report said.