Two masked men attack Catholic church during Sunday mass, Pope Francis offers condolences

Two masked men broke into a Catholic Church in Istanbul during Sunday Mass, killing one and injuring several others.

Turkish authorities have been stingy with information, but the deceased victim has been identified as a 52-year-old man. However, the weapons used by the attackers and the numbers of wounded are still unknown at this time.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya held a press conference and announced that two men, both members of the terrorist Islamic State, were arrested and charged with the attack.

One of the alleged attackers was from Tajikistan and the other was from Russia. Turkish authorities have also arrested nearly 50 other people in connection with the attack.

Pope Francis responded to the attacks saying, "I express my closeness to the community of (the church) in Istanbul, which during the Mass suffered an armed attack with one dead and some wounded."

We often forget just how dangerous the world is, especially for Christians who live in countries that aren't known for tolerance of Christian populations.