The attack by a white Australian supremacist group on two mosques in Christchurch. Closeness to the New Zealand Islamic community and the Australian bishops.
“Deeply saddened” by the terrorist attack on two New Zealand mosques in Christchurch, which cost the lives of 49 people, Pope Francis “assured the New Zealanders, and in particular the Muslim community, of his heartfelt solidarity”.
The Pontiff “was deeply saddened to learn of the injury and loss of life caused by the senseless acts of violence at two Mosques in Christchurch, and he assures all New Zealanders, and in particular the Muslim community, of his heartfelt solidarity in the wake of these attacks”, reads a telegram of condolence signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
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“Mindful of the efforts of the security and emergency personnel in this difficult situation, His Holiness prays for the healing of the injured, the consolation of those who grieve the loss of their loved ones, and for all affected by this tragedy. Commending those who have died to the loving mercy of Almighty God, Pope Francis invokes the divine blessings of comfort and strength upon the nation”.
The “terrorist attack,” as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden called it, caused the deaths of 49 people who were in two mosques in the city of Christchurch and the injury of several dozen others. The police stopped four people. One of them, Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian, posted the entire video of the attack on Facebook. White Supremacist, fan of the Lepanto battle, he published online a manifesto entitled “The great replacement”, complaining that there is a “white genocide” caused by “mass immigration”.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of New Zealand immediately expressed its solidarity with the Muslim community of New Zealand. “Dear Members of the Muslim community in Aotearoa New Zealand, we hold you in prayer as we hear the terrible news of violence against Muslims at mosques in Christchurch”, wrote the episcopate led by Monsignor Paul Martin. “We wish you to be aware of our solidarity with you in the face of such violence. Peace, salaam”.
The President of the Australian Bishops’ Conference, Mark Coleridge, wrote to his New Zealander colleague to express his closeness to him: “Greetings Paul, from across the water where news of the dramatic events in Christchurch has reached us”, wrote the Archbishop of Brisbane. “On behalf of the Australian bishops, I send condolences for the loss of life in this unfathomable act of evil. Who would have thought that something worse could happen after the earthquake (in 2011 the city was devastated by an earthquake, ed), but this will mean that the city will have to be rebuilt in other ways. To the condolences therefore I join our prayers that out of evil good will come, strengthening the bonds of good will in the city, the country and the entire human family, but especially between Christians and Muslims. Pax et bonum”.
Proximity to the Muslim community and condemnation of the attack have been expressed by various Catholic personalities throughout the world. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna, pivotal city in the secular relations between Christianity and Islam, said: “ I am stunned and appalled by the terror attack on those gathered for prayer in the mosques of Christchurch. We stand by the victims and their families in our prayers and, as Christians, at the side of all people committed to peaceful coexistence”.
The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, declared: “I offer my sincere condolences and deepest sympathy following the terror attacks on the two mosques in #Christchurch, which have shocked the world and all who hold that respect for human life is an essential foundation for every society”.
The Anglican primate Justin Welby invited all Christians to pray for “for healing of people, interfaith relations and New Zealand itself”, relaunching a call from the Christian-Islamic Forum who urge Christians to go to the mosques for Friday prayer as a sign of solidarity.
“Deep pain and solidarity to our Muslim brothers and sisters and their families”, was also expressed by the director of the Press Office of the Sacred Convent of Assisi, Father Enzo Fortunato: “An act of brutality against innocent civilians gathered in prayer. There are no foreigners or guests, no Christians or Muslims, no whites or blacks, but there are only men and women on the way to the unity of the human family. The deeply touched friars will pray at the tomb of St. Francis so that hearts imbruted by hatred may learn to renounce violence and embrace the way to peace. May the time of division end and the culture of unity be nourished”.
Finally, the Community of Sant’Egidio “manifests its solidarity with the Muslim community of New Zealand, unjustly affected by this attack, in a country that has always been rich in religious, cultural and original diversity. At the same time, it launches an appeal to stop the propaganda of hatred in the West, which for some time now, it has begun to pass from words to facts in a crescendo of violence and racism, taking on unacceptable symbols and examples, accompanied by distorted historical reconstructions. On the contrary, it is necessary to sow words of peace, to facilitate opportunities for meeting and dialogue, and to favor, at every level, policies which lead to an effective integration. This is the only solution that can be used in societies that are now in fact plural and that will never be able to solve their problems by building walls, but looking with confidence to a future to be built together, already visible in many of its manifestations in Europe and elsewhere”.