A Mormon bishop was shot and killed in an LDS Church building last Sunday. Bishop Clay Sannar was a father of six. This kind of occurrence is rare in a Mormon church building, but it has raised some concerns about the issue of safety at church — and, of course, causes reflection about how fragile and precious life is and why bad things sometimes happen to good people.

Elder Quentin L. Cook, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, shared some simple and powerful thoughts in response to this tragedy. After expressing sincere condolences and an expression of support and love for those mourning Bishop Sannar’s death, he notes that:

[P]rinciples grounded in moral agency sometimes result in heartbreaking consequences in this life…but all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the primary security in this life.

Our hearts go out to Bishop Sannar’s family, friends, and others who knew him.

Read more of Elder Cook’s response to Bishop Sannar’s death

Read more about what Mormons belief about life after death