WASHINGTON, D.C. – The day after 34-year-old Ivan Lopez opened fire at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas, killing three people, the archbishop for the Military Services USA is calling for a less violent society–one that listens and fosters a deeper concern for its neighbor.
“Once again the people at Fort Hood are at the center of national attention and the focus of our prayers,” Archbishop Timothy Broglio wrote in a press release.
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio
Lopez, an Iraq war veteran, also wounded 16 before taking his own life. The Puerto Rico native was being evaluated for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at the Texas army base. He was survived by a wife and daughter.
“On behalf of my auxiliary bishops, the priests, religious, and all of those who make up the archdiocesan family, I offer heartfelt condolences to the families that mourn the loss of a
loved one,” the archbishop stated. “As believers we also pray for the repose of the souls of the victims and the assailant.
“The remedy for this senseless violence can only be found in a more profound respect for human life, a deeper concern for our neighbors, a willingness to listen rather than to shout, and a reduction in the glorification of violence by our society.
“I have been in touch with the Catholic priests who serve at Fort Hood to assure them of the solidarity and the prayerful support of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.”
The Archdiocese for the Military Services was created by Pope John Paul II to provide the Catholic Church’s full range of pastoral ministries and spiritual services to those in the United States Armed Forces. This includes more than 220 installations in 29 countries, patients in 153 V.A. Medical Centers, and federal employees serving outside the boundaries of the USA in 134 countries. Numerically, the AMS is responsible for more than 1.8 million men, women, and children.