University President Fr. John Jenkins released a statement Friday offering his condolences to the loved ones of victims of a terror attack that killed at least 49 people in New Zealand. An additional 48 people were wounded when a gunman opened fire at two mosques in the city of Christchurch during Friday prayers.
“On behalf of the University of Notre Dame, I extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the shooting victims in Christchurch, and to their extended family among the Muslim students, faculty and staff here at Notre Dame and in South Bend,” Jenkins said in the statement.
In his statement, Jenkins invoked the spirit of the Lenten season and offered prayers for those who were killed.
“In this season of Lent, we offer our prayers for our brother and sister believers who were so cruelly murdered in houses of worship of the God of their understanding,” he said.
Jenkins expressed hope that the world will overcome hatred that leads to such violence in the future.
“In our lifetimes, may we see an end to the brutal religious bias and hatred that results in the shedding of innocent blood across the world,” Jenkins said.
