WASHINGTON — The dean of Washington National Cathedral will call for stricter gun control during his sermons today.

The Very Rev. Gary Hall said in a statement that the Episcopal Church has strongly advocated gun control for several decades. He said in the current political climate, officials are “unwilling to address the realities of gun violence in America.”

Hall says the cathedral community will pray for the victims and all those affected by Friday’s mass shooting in Newtown, Conn. And he pledges that the cathedral will “work with our national leaders to enact more effective gun-control measures.”