#BreakingNews 52-Year-Old Man Killed at a Catholic Church in Istanbul during Sunday Holy Mass - Pope Francis Expresses Sympathy for the Community



On Sunday morning, January 28th, the Congregation of the Church of the Nativity of Mary in a suburb of Istanbul, Turkey at the moment of the Sanctus, during Holy Mass two armed people entered, firing several gunshots in the air. The attack on the Church in Istanbul, Türkiye, which left one person dead, identified as C.T. - a male, aged 52, with mental disabilities.
Pope Francis during his Sunday Angelus, expressed his closeness to the victims of the attack.

"I express my sympathy," the Pope said, "to the community of St. Mary Draperis Church in Istanbul, which suffered an armed attack during Mass that left one person dead and several wounded."
Saint Mary Draperis (Italian: Santa Maria Draperis, Turkish: Meryem Ana Draperis Latin Katolik Kilisesi) is a Roman Catholic Church in Istanbul Established in 1584, the church is one of the most ancient Roman Catholic parishes of Istanbul.
The Apostolic Vicar of Istanbul and the Apostolic Administrator of Constantinople, Bishop Massimiliano Palinuro, appealed for authorities to investigate the attack.
Bishop Palinuro explained, was celebrating the Eucharist. Shortly after the offertory, when the incident occurred.
"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."
“The concrete motivations 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. 
“As a Christian community, we ask the authorities to shed light, to seek the truth.”
"We ask for greater security and for the safety of the faithful, of the Christian community, which perseveres in the faith and courageously face very long journeys at times to attend the Eucharistic celebration."

 Excerpts from the Vatican News Interview with the Bishop of Istanbul

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