Pope Francis sends telegram of condolence to Cardinal Vincent Nichols following London attack

by | 23 Mar, 2017 | News

Pope Francis has sent a telegram expressing his condolences to the victims of the terror attack at the Houses of Parliament in London on Wednesday.

Addressed to the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, and signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, the telegram conveys the Holy Father’s promises of prayers and spiritual closeness to the grieving families, as well as his spiritual solidarity with the whole people.

Below, please find the full text of the Telegram, in English:

His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster
President of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales

Deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and of the injuries caused by the attack in central London, His Holiness Pope Francis expresses his prayerful solidarity with all those affected by this tragedy.  Commending those who have died to the loving mercy of Almighty God, His Holiness invokes divine strength and peace upon their grieving families, and he assures the nation of his prayers at this time.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State

The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols has condemned the terror attack which took place in his Archdiocese and has offered prayers for the victims.

Cardinal Nichols described the shock that was being felt in London, but he also said that “typically here life gets on in a normal way; people are coming to work, parliament will be open this afternoon and there’s a determined calmness.”

Cardinal Nichols underlined that it was very important that people remember at this time that “faith in God and the rootedness of our culture in its Christian and its Judeo-Christian heritage; faith in God is a huge asset, it’s not a problem and what we must not do is begin to think that this extremism is the product of religious faith; it’s a distortion, it’s a corruption of a particular religious faith.” He also stressed that “there is no place for hatred in our response”.

The Cardinal said that despite the terrible events the people of London displayed incredible unity. “People were running to help, the staff from the hospital which is at the other end of (Westminster) bridge… were running out of the hospital into the danger area because they were professional nurses and doctors and it’s that sense of a brave and generous response to what has happened,  a practical one, one that has a focus to it.”

ENDS

Archives

Latest Videos

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This