His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia expressed his condolences to the President of the United States, Mr. Barack Obama, over the tragedy at the School in Newtown, Connecticut, that claimed the lives of twenty-seven people. The full text of the message is given below:
Your Excellency,
Dear Mr. President:
The news of the terrible tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut, has resonated in my heart with deep pain and grief. Please, accept my sincere and cordial condolences.
This evil deed claimed the lives of people, most of whom were small children. The murderer did not spare either defenseless pupils, or his own parents.
The Russian Orthodox Church shares the grief of the people of the United States and sorrow of the parents who lost their children, prays for the repose of the souls of the victims and consolation of those mourning, and hopes that such a tragedy does not recur.
With sincere condolences,
+KIRILL
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia