“I am deeply shaken by the tragic event at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague, and my thoughts and prayers are with all those personally affected by the shooting. This insane and completely unjustifiable act has caused enormous grief to many of my friends, colleagues and many of our students, who spontaneously set up a memorial for all the victims of the Prague shooting in our own Faculty of Arts. On Thursday evening, I contacted Bishop Pavel Konzbul, who is a member of MU Board of Trustees, and we agreed to hold a Requiem Mass for all the victims to honour their memory and express our support for their families and loved ones,” said Martin Bareš, Rector of Masaryk University.
The Bishop of Brno, Pavel Konzbul, who will celebrate the Mass on Saturday, expressed a similar sentiment. “We wish to pray together for all the victims of the mass shooting at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University. It is a great tragedy that has caused profound sorrow to many families right before Christmas. I invite everyone to join us in our community of prayer and grief. I have asked the priests and faithful of our diocese to remember in their prayers not only the victims but also their relatives and loved ones,” said Bishop Pavel Konzbul of the Diocese of Brno.
“The Mass for the dead is a prayer in which, in faith, we transcend the limits of death and entrust the deceased to God’s mercy. At the same time, it helps us to cope with the painful loss,” added the Bishop of Brno.
A national day of mourning has been declared for 23 December, with bells ringing across the Czech Republic at 12 noon. The Requiem for the victims, their families and all those affected by the tragic event at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University will also take place at the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. It will be officiated by the Archbishop of Prague Jan Graubner from 11 am.