VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Saying his heart was broken at the news of at least 19 children and two adults being shot and killed at a Texas elementary school, Pope Francis said it was time to say “Enough!” and enact stricter laws on gun sales.

At the end of his weekly general audience May 25, with thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square, the pope prayed publicly for the victims of the shooting the day before at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

“With a heart shattered over the massacre at the elementary school in Texas, I pray for the children and adults who were killed and for their families," the pope told the crowd.

"It is time to say, 'Enough!' to the indiscriminate trafficking of guns," the pope said. "Let's all work to ensure that such tragedies never happen again.”

Shortly before the audience, Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio, an archdiocese that includes Uvalde, tweeted: "Holy Father Pope Francis, say some prayers for the souls of our little ones killed today and two teachers. Uvalde is in mourning. The families are having a very dark time. Your prayer will do good to them."

Local authorities said the children and adults were killed by an 18-year-old student from a high school nearby. He also was reported dead and at least three children remained hospitalized for injuries suffered in the attack.

In response to the news of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas , the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offered the following statement on May 24 from its spokesperson, Chieko Noguchi, director of public affairs.

“There have been too many school shootings, too much killing of the innocent. Our Catholic faith calls us to pray for those who have died and to bind the wounds of others, and we join our prayers along with the community in Uvalde and Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller. As we do so, each of us also needs to search our souls for ways that we can do more to understand this epidemic of evil and violence and implore our elected officials to help us take action.”

Also in response to the Texas school shooting, the following statement was issued by Sister Mary Haddad, a Religious Sister of Mercy who serves as the president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States:

“On behalf of Catholic health providers across the United States, we are horrified, but sadly not shocked, about the news of another massacre and loss of so many lives. The Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA) has long advocated for sensible firearms policies, including banning weapons that enable the slaughter of many people in a matter of seconds.  We also believe it is important to support research into the root causes of gun violence. 

“In recent weeks, CHA, our members, and nearly 300 national, state, and local medical, public health, and research organizations have urged Congress to provide $35 million for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and $25 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct public health research into firearm morbidity and mortality prevention. In light of the senseless loss of lives in Uvalde and Buffalo, we urge Congress to act quickly and authorize funding that bolsters research into this critical public health issue. 

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.  But action is needed now.  Recent statistics from the CDC showed that gun homicides jumped 34% from 2019 to 2020.  It is imperative that we have the resources to better understand the root causes of firearm violence so that government and health care organizations can work together to reverse this devastating trend.  Thoughts and prayers alone are no longer acceptable for people of faith and goodwill. We must act to bring an end to such senseless violence.”