the murder of Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell last month, Pope Francis prais
Archbishop José H. Gomez reads a condolence message for Pope Francis at a memorial Mass for Bishop David O’Connell at St. John Vianney Church in Hacienda Heights March 1, 2023. (Credit: Sarah Yaklic/Archdiocese of Los Angeles.)
ROME – In a telegram sent following the murder of Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell last month, Pope Francis praised the late bishop’s commitment to the poor and migrants, and offered his closeness to the local community.
In the telegram, signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pope said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the untimely and tragic death” of O’Connell, and offered his “heartfelt condolences and the assurance of his spiritual closeness to you, the clergy and religious and lay faithful” of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Pope Francis voiced gratitude for O’Connell’s many years of “devoted priestly and episcopal ministry to the church in Los Angeles, marked especially by his profound concern for the poor, immigrants, and those in need, his efforts to uphold the sanctity and dignity of God’s gift of life and his zeal for fostering solidarity, cooperation, and peace within the local community.”
Offering O’Connell’s soul to God, the pope prayed that those who honor the bishop’s memory would be reaffirmed in their resolve to “reject the ways of violence and overcome evil with good.”
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