9/11/01 Reactions

"A Dark Day In The History Of Humanity"

The Pope dedicated the September 12 general audience, celebrated in St. Peter's Square, to the previous day's tragedy in the United States, expressing his very great condemnation and his assurance of spiritual closeness to the families of the dead and the injured.

Following is a large part of the text read by the Holy Father, which replaced the traditional catechesis of the general audience:

"I cannot begin this audience without expressing my profound sorrow at the terrorist attacks which yesterday brought death and destruction to America, causing thousands of victims and injuring countless people. To the President of the United States and to all American citizens, I express my heartfelt sorrow. In the face of such unspeakable horror we cannot but be deeply disturbed. I add my voice to all the voices raised in these hours to express indignant condemnation, and I strongly reiterate that the ways of violence will never lead to genuine solutions to humanity's problems.

"Yesterday was a dark day in the history of humanity, a terrible affront to human dignity. After receiving the news I followed with intense concern the developing situation, with heartfelt prayers to the Lord. How is it possible to commit acts of such savage cruelty? The human heart has depths from which schemes of unheard-of ferocity sometimes emerge; capable of destroying in a moment the normal daily life of a people. But faith comes to our aid at these times when words seem to fail. Christ's word is the only one that can give a response to the questions which trouble our spirit. Even if the forces of darkness appear to prevail, those who believe in God know that evil and death do not have the final say.

"Christian hope is based on this truth; at this time our prayerful trust draws strength from it.

"With deeply felt sympathy I address myself to the beloved people of the United States in this moment of distress and consternation, when the courage of so many men and women is being sorely tested."

Before the conclusion of the audience, the Pope and the faithful prayed for the Churches of the East and the West, and, in particular, for the Church in the United States and for heads of state "in order that, not allowing themselves to be dominated by hatred and the spirit of retaliation, they do everything possible to keep weapons of destruction from sowing new hatred and new death and strive to bring light to the darkness of human affairs with works of peace."

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We Will Not Live in Fear

-- Fr. Frank Pavone

On the morning of September 11, we were having our normal morning staff briefing at the Priests for Life headquarters in New York City. The front of our office faces lower Manhattan, just across the water which the famous Staten Island Ferry crosses many times a day.

Suddenly we could see a huge column of smoke rising into the sky, and quickly becoming larger and darker. That morning, of course, suddenly turned into a night of shock and disbelief as we saw, along with the rest of the country, the worst attack ever made on the United States.

After following the initial news reports, seeing the collapse of the Towers, and doing the best we could to verify that friends and relatives were safe, we took refuge in the Eucharist. The chapel at our headquarters likewise faces Manhattan. We did what Catholics know best to do in the face of death: eat of the Bread of Life. During that Mass, I could see in one glance the Body of Christ, and the smoke over Manhattan. "This is My Body, given up for you…Do this in Memory of Me…This is My Blood, shed for you…for the forgiveness of sins."

There are no words to describe the kind of evil manifested by the deeds done against our nation on September 11, and deliberately planned long before that. Nor does the human psyche easily absorb the fact that the events of that day were not a horror movie, but a horrible reality.

The attack was against human life, and that is the greatest loss we incurred. The attack was also on key symbols of our city and our country, and that is likewise offensive. Symbols have meaning; we live by them and they help us keep our bearings.

One of those key symbols, of course, is our flag, which now we see everywhere. Its presence on our homes, our cars, and our clothing will continue to draw us together, as citizens of a nation based on the self-evident truth that life is sacred.

A few things, in the midst of this disaster, are certain. First, we need God. Events like this remind us we are vulnerable, and need to call on God's protection and providence. Besides being citizens of this great country, we are citizens of heaven.

Second, we need one another. The task of eliminating terrorism once and for all is a task not only for our military forces, but for every one of us. The more we build families and communities of concrete love, the more we crowd out terrorism. One of the fascinating phenomena here in New York these days is how strangers are spontaneously talking to one another, expressing concern for any relatives and friends who may be hurt or missing. These tragedies remind us that there really are no strangers.

Third, victory is ours. This we know from our Faith. The power of death has already been conquered in Jesus Christ. Evil will not have the final word. We will not live in fear. God will bless America, and the world, which still belongs to Him.

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"A Day of National Tragedy"

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Administrative Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting here on September 11 issued a statement on the terrorist attacks in Washington, D.C., and New York. Following is the text of the statement:

This is a day of national tragedy. Though we do not yet know its full extent, we mourn those who have lost their lives and pray for their eternal rest and for the consolation of their families.

We pray for the living victims that they may know that God is with them in their sufferings We pray for those who are rescuing and ministering to the injured, that God may strengthen them in their heroic and often heartbreaking work. We pray for our national community that we will be of support to one another in the days ahead as we come to grips with the enormity of what has happened.

We express our support for our President and other government leaders, both national and local, who bear the tremendous responsibility of dealing with the aftermath of these unbelievable events. They are in our prayers in a special way.

If, as seems likely, this tragedy is the result of acts of terrorism, then we pray also for those whose hatred has become so great that they are willing to engage in crimes against our common humanity. May they realize, at last, that such violence creates not justice but greater injustice.

On Friday and Saturday, we celebrate the Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross and then honor Our Blessed Mother under the title of Our Lady of Sorrows. These are particularly apt days for Catholics to reflect on the ways in which we are called to take up the cross and follow our Lord.

We call upon all our fellow citizens to renew their trust in God and to turn away from the bitter fruits of the kind of hatred which is the source of this tragedy. Especially let us not engage in ethnic, religious, or national stereotyping for what may be the acts of a few irrational terrorists. As the Catholic bishops of the United States, we unite in prayer to the Lord our God in the words of the psalmist:

"In you, O Lord, I take refuge . . .

Incline your ear to me, and save me.

Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety" (Psalm 71).

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