Prayers for Norway: The Church of England Newspaper, July 29, 2011 p 6. July 31, 2011
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Terrorism.trackback
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
Church leaders have offered their condolences to the people and government of Norway following the worst mass killing in Europe since the 2004 Beslan school siege.
The initial statements from Anglican and European church leaders have expressed shock and outrage at the attacks, and also reflect the early confusion of the media over Anders Behring Breivik’s motives for his 22 July rampage.
The Archbishop of Canterbury expressed his “deepest sympathy with the people of Norway in the wake” of the bombing and shootings in Oslo that have left at least 76 dead. Dr Williams said that Norway had played “so great a part over many years in international reconciliation as well as developing its own distinctive national ethos of openness and fairness” that it as a “special tragedy that it should suffer this outbreak of senseless carnage.”
The prayers of the Church of England were with “all those who died and all those who mourn them; and we are grateful for the many signs of strength and spiritual maturity that the Norwegian people have shown in their response to evil and destructiveness,” the Archbishop said.
On 23 July Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone sent a message of condolence, in the name of Benedict XVI, to King Harald V of Norway.
The Pope expressed his “profound sadness” at the “great loss of life” and offered “fervent prayers for the victims and their families, invoking God’s peace upon the dead and divine consolation upon those who suffer.”
Explanations and justifications for the attacks provoked disgust and outrage from Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town, who said he could not “be silent in the face of the horror and brutality.”
“I feel saddened and shocked by this outrageous lack of regard for human life and more angered by stories emerging about the justification for such violence. I trust that firm and tough legal action will be taken against Anders Behring Breivik.”
Writing to the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Norway, the Archbishops of Dublin and Armagh and the Bishop of Clogher offered the Church of Ireland’s “deepest sympathy, and the fellowship of our prayers to the Norwegian people.
“There is something blindly unjust about such an attack in a country which is a byword for toleration,” the Irish bishops said, noting Norway was regarded as a model of “mutually respectful diversity and generous tolerance.”
The traits cited by the Irish bishop for approbation, however, were amongst those denounced by the Oslo bomber as signs of his country’s moral collapse that could only be resolved through violent revolution.
The World Evangelical Alliance released a statement saying it was “saddened to read reports that the suspect claims a ‘Christian’ faith,” adding that “evangelical Christians globally condemn religious violence in the strongest possible terms, and are sickened when such violence is carried out in the name of Christ.”
Meanwhile in London the Evangelical Alliance also issued a statement promising prayers for the victims.
The statement said that the EA “expresses its deepest sympathy to the people of Norway at this tragic time. Our prayers are with the families and friends of those murdered in Oslo and on the island of Utoeya. We also pray for the many people injured in the attacks.
“As all Norwegians begin to deal with this national trauma, our hope is that Christians in Norway play their part in the healing process. We also hope that this diabolical reminder of the persistence of evil will not adversely affect the much cherished freedoms and social harmony in the country.”
The Scottish Episcopal Church along with a number of English dioceses prepared prayers for the people of Norway for use by congregations this week. On 25 July, the Diocese of Exeter released a “Prayer for Norway.”
‘God our saviour, we pray with those in Norway who are shocked, grieving or in pain.
‘In your mercy, look on this wounded world, and hold us closely to your promise of hope in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen’
