Pope Francis has joined with other Christian leaders to condemn the terror attacks that killed 38 people, at least 30 of them Britons, in Tunisia last Friday.
In a telegram sent by the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis said that he was united in prayer with victims’ relatives, and with relatives of victims of attacks that took place on the same day in France and Kuwait.
Seifeddine Rezgui, a 23-year-old Tunisian student with links to ISIS, opened fire at a beach resort at the northern city of Sousse on Friday. On the same day 27 people were killed by a suicide bomber at a Shia mosque in Kuwait while in Lyon in France delivery company manager Hervé Cornara was beheaded by one of his employees, Yassin Salhi, who has been linked to Islamic militants.
This weekend Pope Francis condemned “the violence which causes so much suffering” and prayed that God “might grant the gift of peace.”
In France Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon visited the city’s Grand Mosque on Friday to join local Muslims as they broke their Ramadan fast and to express his solidarity with “all artisans of peace”.
Rupture du jeûne à la grande mosquée de Lyon avec K. @Kabtane dans une ambiance grave et fraternelle. pic.twitter.com/tNKB7XqlOV
— CardBarbarin (@CardBarbarin) June 26, 2015
The cardinal posted a picture of himself online hugging the mosque rector Kamel Kabtane “in a serious and fraternal atmosphere”. He also tweeted: “Maintain and intensify the dialogue with all artisans of peace, denounce more firmly all sources of violence.”
Those present observed a minute of silence for the victims of what he called “this red Friday”.
Mr Kabtane called it “one of the worst days of my life” and said he promptly hugged Cardinal Barbarin when he arrived.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said the three attacks were intended to destroy and divide.
“Let us together mourn for the victims, weep with the bereaved, support the injured and pray for them all to the God who in Jesus Christ went to the Cross and died rather than bearing a sword,” he said.
He went on: “Facing such a global and long term menace, we are called to reaffirm our solidarity with each other and affirm the great treasures of freedom, in religion and so many other ways.”
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