Charleston healing after church massacre

Hundreds of people flocked to Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston on Sunday as it reopened its doors to worshipers just days after a gunman shot dead nine black church members.

Outside the church, the oldest African-American congregation in the southern United States, bouquets, teddy bears and balloons covered the sidewalk while hundreds of people lined up to mourn, sing hymns and leave memorials.

Thousands of hand-written messages covered white banners at the church’s entrance, reading “God Bless,” or “Thank you Sen. Rev. Clementa Pinckney. You will 4ever be an inspiration,” referring to the church’s pastor, a state senator who was one of the victims.

City officials, religious leaders and mourners have said Sunday’s services at Emanuel church would mark a small step toward healing after the latest US mass shooting, which has again trained a spotlight on the nation’s pervasive and divisive issues of race relations and gun crime.