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ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) — The bishop of a Catholic diocese in Pennsylvania is discouraging people from carrying guns into churches after a weapon legally carried by a man accidentally discharged during a weekend Easter vigil Mass.
Altoona police say the man was grazed by the bullet when the weapon snagged on his pants and fired around 11 p.m. Saturday at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.
Bishop Mark Bartchak of the Altoona-Johnstown diocese says he's grateful that no one was seriously injured. But he says "guns have no place in our cathedral or any of the other parishes in our diocese" because churches "must be an environment in which all feel safe."
Authorities are considering whether charges will be filed. They say the man has a permit and was legally carrying the weapon.
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