This story has been updated.
The former Pennsylvania senator pointed to what he described as anti-religious sentiment.
“All you can do is pray for those and pray for our country,” Santorum said. “This is one of those situations where you just have to take a step back and say we — you know, you talk about the importance of prayer in this time and we’re now seeing assaults on our religious liberty we’ve never seen before. It’s a time for deeper reflection beyond this horrible situation.”
Nearly every presidential candidate weighed in Thursday, offering prayers and condolences to Charleston. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R), who on Thursday canceled his presidential campaign events for the rest of the week to return to his home state, released a statement saying “our prayers are with the families of the victims and the people of Charleston. We are all heartbroken by this tragedy."
The Bush campaign announced early Thursday morning that it had canceled a campaign event in Charleston "due to the tragic events unfolding in South Carolina tonight." Businessman Donald Trump, who announced his candidacy Tuesday, also rescheduled an event in the state, saying in a statement that "this is a time for healing, not politics."