in English
"I beg God to sustain you and the American people in this hour of suffering and trial"
Vatican (VIS)
Following is the text of the telegramsent yesterday afternoon by Pope John Paul to U.S. President George W.Bush, following terrorist attacks earlier in the morning in Washington,D.C. and New York City, causing an untold number of victims andincalculable damage:
"Shocked by the unspeakable horror of today's inhuman terrorist attacksagainst innocent people in different parts of the United States I hurry toexpress to you and your fellow citizens my profound sorrow and my closenessin prayer for the nation at this dark and tragic moment. Commending thevictims to Almighty God's eternal mercy, I implore His strength upon allinvolved in rescue efforts and in caring for the survivors. I beg God tosustain you and the American people in this hour of suffering and trial."
Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls also released astatement yesterday regarding the news of the tragedy which occurred in theUnited States: "The Holy Father has been constantly informed of the events related tothis enormous tragedy. From the very first moment He prayed to God to giveeternal repose to the souls of the many, many victims and courage andcomfort to their families. "The Holy Father wished immediately to send a message to the president ofthe United States to express his closeness and that of the entire Church tohim and to the American people in this moment of suffering and trial. "The Holy Father expresses great condemnation for this violence whichonly destroys."
Pope: Sorrow and condemnation for yesterday's tragedy
Vatican(VIS)
The Pope dedicated today's generalaudience, celebrated in St. Peter's Square, to yesterday's tragedy in theUnited States, expressing his very great condemnation and his assurance ofspiritual closeness to the families of the dead and the injured.
Following is a large part of the text read by the Holy Father, whichreplaced the traditional catechesis of the general audience:
"I cannot begin this audience without expressing my profound sorrow atthe terrorist attacks which yesterday brought death and destruction toAmerica, causing thousands of victims and injuring countless people. To thePresident of the United States and to all American citizens I express myheartfelt sorrow. In the face of such unspeakable horror we cannot but bedeeply disturbed. I add my voice to all the voices raised in these hours toexpress indignant condemnation, and I strongly reiterate that the ways ofviolence will never lead to genuine solutions to humanity's problems.
"Yesterday was a dark day in the history of humanity, a terrible affrontto human dignity. After receiving the news, I followed with intense concernthe developing situation, with heartfelt prayers to the Lord. How is itpossible to commit acts of such savage cruelty? The human heart has depthsfrom which schemes of unheard-of ferocity sometimes emerge, capable ofdestroying in a moment the normal daily life of a people. But faith comesto our aid at these times when words seem to fail. Christ's word is theonly one that can give a response to the questions which trouble ourspirit. Even if the forces of darkness appear to prevail, those who believein God know that evil and death do not have the final say. Christian hopeis based on this truth; at this time our prayerful trust draws strengthfrom it.
"With deeply felt sympathy I address myself to the beloved people of theUnited States in this moment of distress and consternation, when thecourage of so many men and women of good will is being sorely tested."
Before the conclusion of the audience, the Pope and the faithful prayedfor the Churches of the East and the West, and, in particular, for theChurch in the United States and for heads of state "so order that, notallowing themselves to be dominated by hatred and the spirit ofretaliation, they do everything possible to keep weapons of destructionfrom sowing new hatred and new death and strive to bring light to thedarkness of human affairs with works of peace."
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