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The Twin Cities archbishop says he recently shared letters written by students of Annunciation Catholic School and their families with Pope Leo in a recent visit to Rome.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda wrote in a Monday 

 about his first time meeting Pope Leo. He was in Rome for the ordination of two seminarians as deacons.

“The recent encounter with Pope Leo was particularly meaningful for me because I had the opportunity to give to him letters that were written by students from Annunciation School and their families, thanking him for his prayers in the aftermath of the shooting that had taken place in their church on Aug. 27,” wrote Hebda.

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He says he asked Pope Leo for his continued prayers for Sophia Forchas, the other survivors in recovery; and those “who might find it difficult to return to Annunciation Church or even the celebration of Mass.”

Forchas, who is 12 years old, was shot in the head during the Annunciation shooting and was hospitalized for the longest. She was in a medically induced coma after being shot and had part of her skull removed to accommodate brain swelling.

Last month, Forchas’ family said she was making steady progress in her recovery. Her parents confirmed 

she moved from acute care to an inpatient rehabilitation program

She is one of 30 who were injured or killed in the shooting.

 during his Sunday noon blessing from his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square. 

“Our prayers for the victims of the tragic shooting during a school Mass in the American state of Minnesota,” said the Chicago-born Leo. “We hold in our prayers the countless children killed and injured every day around the world. Let us plead God to stop the pandemic of arms, large and small, which infects our world.”

Correction (Oct. 27, 2025): An earlier version of this story included an inaccurate number of victims of the Annunciation shooting. It has been updated.

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In a Monday announcement, Archbishop Bernard Hebda wrote he handed letters written by the Annunciation community to Pope Leo in a recent visit to Rome.

Twin Cities archbishop gives letters from Annunciation families to Pope Leo

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