“A child of God is dead.”

That message came Wednesday (Feb. 14) not from a religious leader, but from CNN counterterrorism analyst Phil Mudd as he broke down while discussing the school shooting that had happened earlier in the day.

In all, 17 people were killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., making it one of the deadliest school shootings in modern American history.

The shooting came on Ash Wednesday, when Catholic and many Protestant Christians remember their mortality as they begin the penitential season of Lent. It also happened to be Valentine’s Day, when many Americans plan to celebrate their loved ones, not lose them.

Details still are emerging, and authorities have not commented on a motive. The 19-year-old suspected gunman reportedly had been expelled from the school. The leader of a white supremacist group also has claimed the suspect was a member and had participated in paramilitary drills, though local police say they have not yet found a connection between the suspect and the group.

And many religious leaders are still searching for words in the aftermath of the tragedy; most called for prayer, while some begged for that prayer to be accompanied by action.

Here is a sampling of their reactions, some of which have been edited for length:

Paula White, pastor of New Destiny…

When Team USA skier Nick Goepper flies down the slopes backward, launches off a ramp, twists into a knot and lands on one ski, he says he is never alone.

“I always wear a cross on my goggles during contests when I’m doing something gnarly,” the 23-year old Indiana native told Beliefnet in 2014. “It’s a reminder that I’ve got someone else helping me out.”

Recently, Goepper needed more help. After taking the bronze medal in the showy slopestyle skiing at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, he sunk into a depression, withdrew from family and friends and drank heavily.

He recounted this period in a special X Games video released just before he departed for South Korea.

One night, he called his mother and said, “Mom, I’m thinking about going to get a bottle of vodka and go sit in my car in Lamb’s Canyon and drink the whole thing.”

Lamb’s Canyon, Utah, is where Olympic skier and silver medalist Jeret Peterson killed himself in 2011. Goepper’s parents flew from his native Indiana to his side and, eventually, enrolled him in a recovery program.

Now, Goepper has his eye on the gold at Pyeongchang, a color he captured in three consecutive X Games between 2013 and 2015.

“I got a bronze medal in Sochi and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a little chip on my shoulder and want to better that this time around,” Goepper said at a news conference in…

Team USA freestyle skier David Wise has one foot in the snow, and the other in church.

He and his wife, Alexandra, lead the youth group at their church in Reno, Nev., where Wise grew up. He’s needed her and his church family on the road to the Pyeongchang Olympics: It’s been a rocky one, offset by triumphs on the slopes.

Wise is a halfpipe specialist who took the gold in the freeski halfpipe event at the 2014 Sochi Games and at the 2018 X Games. That makes him a favorite for Pyeongchang.

Vice President Mike Pence has been receiving criticism recently from multiple people. As ChristianHeadlines.com previously reported, Joy Behar mocked his Christian faith on The View. But that wasn’t the only criticism Pence has faced. US Olympic athletes who identify as gay have also made him a target.

Previously US figure skater Adam Rippon said that Pence doesn’t stand for anything he himself believes in.  Now, Gus Kenworthy, a US Olympic skier has also criticized Pence.

According to The Washington Examiner, Kenworthy posted to Twitter yesterday:

“Broke my thumb yesterday in practice. It won’t stop me from competing (obvi) but it does prevent me from shaking Pence’s hand so…Silver linings! Will be giving my teammates (and literally everyone else) an enthusiastic ‘thumbs up!’ of encouragement the rest of the trip.”

Kenworthy previously appeared on Ellen where he also questioned Pence’s qualifications to represent the US at the Olympic Games.

These athletes and others have referenced Pence’s alleged support for gay conversion therapy, but Pence’s office has refuted the claim that he has ever supported this.

Pence also offered to meet with Rippon and discuss these issues in person. Rippon initially refused, although he later reconsidered and said he was open to speaking with Pence after the Olympics.

Photo: Gus Kenworthy reacts from the…