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The World Council of Churches (WCC) has condemned the mass killing at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, United States.

In a statement issued in Geneva on 18 June, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit said “I followed with horror the events that took place yesterday evening at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC, USA.

Tveit added “A pastor and members of the congregation were targeted with acts of violence, which seem to have been premeditated and motivated by racial hatred, while they gathered in prayer and the study of God’s word”.

The WCC offers condolences to the families, the congregation, and community. Tveit said “We offer our prayers for healing to the wounded and traumatized, and solidarity and accompaniment to our sisters and brothers in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.”

Read full text of the WCC general secretary’s statement

NCC Grieves With Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina (Statement by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA)