Pope Francis, addressing the faithful during his Sunday Angelus, decried the attack by armed gunsmen on an Italian Catholic Church in Istanbul, which left one person dead, during Sunday Mass.
"I express my sympathy," the Pope said in his remarks, "to the community of Santa Maria Draperis Church in Istanbul, which suffered an armed attack during Mass that left one person dead and several wounded."
In an interview with Vatican News, the Apostolic Vicar of Istanbul and the Apostolic Administrator of Constantinople, Bishop Massimiliano Palinuro, discussed the tragic series of events, appealing for authorities to seek the truth behind the attack which seems to suggest religious intolerance.
Elements seem to suggest attack motivated by religious intolerance
This morning, the Congregation of the Church of the Nativity of Mary in a suburb of Istanbul, Bishop Palinuro explained, was celebrating the Eucharist. Shortly after the offertory, at the moment of the Sanctus, he recalled that two armed people entered, exploding several gunshots in the air.
"And then the reaction of one of the faithful, who also had some mental health problems, had the courage to protest against this, probably in response to this act," he explained, adding, "They responded by killing this person."
The concrete motivations, the Apostolic Vicar told Vatican Media, "are not yet known" and "have yet to be verified."
"But the elements that seem to emerge so far suggest a religiously motivated attack, a motivation of religious intolerance."
Community in shock
"Our community is literally shocked," he said, even if it is living the tragedy as a "time for prayer," "for solidarity with the Catholic community," and "for prayer for the person who has died."
"As a Christian community," the Apostolic Vicar appealed, "we ask the authorities to shed light, to seek the truth."
Bishop Palinuro concluded, by reflecting on the sorrow for the person killed, and appealing for greater security of the Catholic faithful.
"We ask for greater security and for the safety of the faithful, of the Christian community who persevere in the faith, who with courage sometimes even face very long journeys to attend the Eucharistic celebration."