Commenting on the deadly mass shooting that claimed the lives of 33 students and teachers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia on April 16, Seventh-day Adventist world church president, Pastor Jan Paulsen, offered a message of compassion and solidarity to family members, friends and classmates of the victims in a statement released yesterday evening.

"What words are sufficient in the face of a tragedy such as this?" said Pastor Paulsen. "Within moments, so many lives were shattered, so many hopes and dreams extinguished, and so many were left behind to mourn.

"Seventh-day Adventist Church members around the world are praying for the families who grieve and for those who lost friends, classmates and colleagues. We pray for the full recovery of those who survived--the wounded, and those whose wounds, though not physical, run just as deep," the statement continued.

"And we pray that even in the midst of this heartbreak, the light of God's compassion will shine through. As the students and faculty of Virginia Tech look to tomorrow, may they sense the healing hand of God's spirit.

"May they have the assurance that good will ultimately triumph over evil, and may they experience a hope and peace that passes all understanding."