Pope Francis expressed his “deep sadness“for the” senseless “death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, assassinated this Friday during an electoral demonstration, and expressed the hope that” Japanese society will be strengthened in its historic commitment to peace and non-violence “.

Francis sent a telegram through the Secretary of State, Pietro Parolín, in which he claimed to have received the news of the murder of Shinzo Abe with “deep sadness” and expressed his condolences to his family, friends and all the people of Japan. .

“After that senseless actpray that Japanese society will be strengthened in its historic commitment to peace and non-violence, “he said in the telegram.

The 67-year-old former prime minister of Japan died after being shot several times while giving a speech in the western city of Nara, ahead of the elections for the upper house of the Parliament of Japan. next Sunday.

After being hit by a homemade weapon, he was treated on the spot and was immediately taken to a nearby medical center, where he arrived by helicopter.

According to Makoto Morimoto, a local fire officer, Abe suffered cardiorespiratory arrest. and was admitted with no vital signs to a local hospital for emergency treatment.

I had two bullet wounds which caused him neck and heart wounds. The attack took place at 11:30 local time. His death was officially confirmed five hours later.

According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, police captured a 41-year-old man suspected of shooting the former Japanese official, in power between December 2012 and September 2020, when he announced his resignation on health grounds.

The last such incident in Japan was the 1960 assassination of Inejiro Asanuma, the leader of the Japanese Socialist Party, who was stabbed to death by a student close to the far right.

With information from EFE