"Canadians join with Americans and the rest of the world in lamenting this tragic moment," Archbishop Richard Smith wrote in a Dec. 19 letter to Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Smith expressed the "heartfelt prayers and sympathy" of the Canadian bishops for the "horrible killings" of 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.

"It is not only the local community of Newtown or your own nation which is experiencing such great loss and sorrow, but also the whole of North American society," wrote Smith. "Our culture has become mesmerized and exploited by violence in its many dehumanizing and senseless forms.

"Its victims are not only the dead, the wounded, their families and the citizens of Newtown," continued Smith. "Each of us has been injured and hurt: every heart by the images of human suffering, every soul by the malice and cruelty at work in any act of violence."

Smith asked Dolan to extend the Canadian bishops' sympathy and solidarity to the families, the Newtown community, Bridgeport diocese and to Newtown's St. Rose of Lima parish.

"Christian communities around the world are preparing to celebrate at Christmas the Gift of Life and Love. May God help our society in this tragic moment to be more respectful of the sacredness of life, and inspire all communities in their determination to serve and protect the common good."