WCC News: WCC extends condolences to people of Minneapolis in wake of school shooting

The World Council of Churches (WCC) extends condolences to the people of Minneapolis, Minnesota (US), after a shooter fired through the windows of a church in Minnesota on 27 August, killing two children. Fourteen other children and three parishioners were wounded during the first week of class at Annunciation Catholic School. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 28 August 2025 World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed solidarity with the people of Minneapolis, especially with those who lost loved ones in the attack. “As we stand with the Minneapolis community and churches in their grief and trauma, we will pray God’s strength for you,” Pillay said. “Violence against anyone—including these innocent people as they gathered to pray—anguishes us all.”  The shooter, who is dead, graduated from the school in 2017, according to a yearbook. WCC member churches in the United States See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland