Pope Francis has condemned last week’s terrorist attack in Barcelona and was “greatly disturbed” by the horrific violence.
The Pontiff expressed his closeness with the people of Spain, in particular the injured and their families, and prayed for the victims.
Last Thursday the so-called Islamic State claimed responsibility for what is believed to be three coordinated attacks that killed 15 people.
An Irish family of four were injured in the attack – a mother, father and two children, with one child suffering a broken femur.
In Barcelona a van zigzagged at high speed in the busy tourist area of Las Ramblas, leading to the deaths of 13 people and leaving up to 100 people injured – some severely.
Terrorists
In Cambrils, a town 120km from Barcelona, one woman was killed and five bystanders and a police officer were injured when a car drove into them.
Five suspected terrorists were killed at the scene, some were wearing what was later discovered to be fake suicide vests.
A third explosion occurred the day before, on Wednesday in Alcanor – 200km from Barcelona – and destroyed a house killing one person.
The Spanish Catholic Bishops’ Conference immediately called it a “lamentable and detestable act” and expressed their solidarity with the victims.
The Spanish bishops went on to condemn “every demonstration of terrorism” as “an intrinsically perverse practice, completely incompatible with a just, reasonable, and moral view of life.”