USCCB president, pope call for prayers after 'unspeakable terror'

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The nation has experienced "yet another night filled with unspeakable terror" and "we need to pray and to take care of those who are suffering," said the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington.

In Las Vegas, a gunman now identified by law enforcement officials as Stephen Craig Paddock, 64, was perched high on the 32nd floor of a hotel and from his room unleashed a shower of bullets late Oct. 1 on an outdoor country music festival taking place below. The crowd at the event numbered more than 22,000.

He killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 400, making it by all accounts "the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history," Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, USCCB president, said in an Oct. 2 statement.

"My heart and my prayers, and those of my brother bishops and all the members of the church, go out to the victims of this tragedy and to the city of Las Vegas," he said.

"At this time, we need to pray and to take care of those who are suffering," Cardinal DiNardo said. "In the end, the only response is to do good -- for no matter what the darkness, it will never overcome the light. May the Lord of all gentleness surround all those who are suffering from this evil, and for those who have been killed we pray, eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them."

In a telegram to Las Vegas Bishop Joseph A. Pepe, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said Pope Francis was "deeply saddened to learn of the shooting in Las Vegas" and "sends the assurance of his spiritual closeness to all those affected by this senseless tragedy."

"He commends the efforts of the police and emergency service personnel, and offers the promise of his prayers for the injured and for all who have died, entrusting them to the merciful love of Almighty God," the cardinal said.

"Once again we must reach out in shock and horror to comfort the victims of a mass shooting in our country. We offer our prayers and our deep sympathy to all those affected by this senseless act of violence. We are grateful to the first responders and others who aided the victims and helped moved people to safety," Cardinal Cupich said in a statement. 

"We reaffirm our commitment to nonviolence and to addressing the causes of such tragedies. At this time we come together in prayer and also in resolve to change a culture that has allowed such events to become commonplace. We must not become numb to these mass shootings or to the deadly violence that occurs on our streets month in and month out. Let us join with all people of good will to work for increased access to mental health care and stronger, sensible gun control laws. And let us build a nation characterized by kindness, remarkable for its tolerance and defined by its reverence for human life."

The barrage of shots came from a room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino complex on the Las Vegas Strip. Once police officers determined where the gunshots were coming from, they stormed the room and killed the suspect, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters.

The suspect later identified as Paddock was from Mesquite, Nevada, about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas. USA Today reported police had blocked off the road to Paddock's home, which they planned to search. News reports also said law enforcement believed the suspect was a "lone wolf" in planning and carrying out the attack.