Pope Francis condemns death of George Floyd, expresses support for Bishop Seitz memorial effort

THE VATICAN -- Pope Francis on Wednesday publicly condemned the "tragic" death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers and said he was praying for him and "all those others who have lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism."

The Pope also was said to have expressed support for El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, who earlier this week became the first U.S. Catholic bishop to take a knee before leading eight minutes of silence to remember Floyd and pray for peace and justice.

After days of protests across the United States, Francis addressed Floyd's death during his weekly Angelus prayer at the Vatican on Wednesday.

"Dear brothers and sisters in the United States, I have witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest in your nation in these past days, following the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd," Francis said.

"My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life," he said.

"At the same time, we have to recognize that the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost," he urged.

Vatican Analyst John Allen said it is "relatively rare" for the Pope to mention a specific person by name. A Vatican spokesperson said it was a "special appeal."

Separately, Pope Francis called Bishop Seitz offering his support for his Floyd memorial actions.

It happened Monday evening in central El Paso's Memorial Park as the bishop, surrounded by his clergy, held a prayer vigil in a spot where police and protesters had clashed just a day prior.

During a telephone exchange, Bishop Seitz said the Pope expressed solidarity with him and all of the clergy who participated in taking a knee in the park.

“I expressed to the Holy Father that I felt it was imperative to show our solidarity to those who are suffering,” Bishop Seitz said he told Pope Francis.