LONDON, JULY 15, 2005 (Zenit.org).- It is God, not man, who is in charge of history, said the archbishop of Westminster at an interreligious prayer meeting in Trafalgar Square.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor said in the meeting Thursday that even though “evil has erupted at the heart of our city,” God continues to exist and will never be defeated.
The meeting took place the same day that London came to a standstill for two minutes at midday as a mark of respect for the victims of the July 7 terrorist bombings.
“The knowledge that vulnerability and innocence can be exploited by evil can lead us to wish to be invulnerable,” the cardinal said. “But it is precisely when we are confronted with evil that we must cling with greater determination to what is good.
“We must be compassionate and above all patient, because it is not we, but God, who is in charge of history.”
Healing
In the midst of violence, “evil also summons forth good,” the cardinal told those present. “Almost as soon as the wounds appeared, there was healing.”
“In these countless small acts, terrorism was defeated,” he said.
“God may be mocked by acts of hate, but he is never defeated or reduced,” said the cardinal. “And because God was there, holding us, as always, in his hands, cradling us, we showed we could not be corroded.
“We showed that we are made according to God’s design, and that no amount of terror, however suddenly and brutally it strikes, can wipe that away.”
The cardinal ended his address with the following prayer:
“Lord, we bring before you
those who have been killed and
wounded by acts of terror,
Those scarred in mind and body,
those who live with loss,
or with the memory of fear.
Be with them in their suffering.
Stand beside these victims
with your gentle arm around them
to support them and give them hope.
Bless those who mourn,
especially those who grieve
for their children and loved ones;
and comfort them in this darkest hour.
Renew our resolve
that goodness will prevail,
and our determination to preserve
all that we hold precious.
Turn the minds of those
who seek their aims through terror
to grasp that all life is sacred.”
