British religious leaders call for solidarity
-10/07/05
Today senior British religious leaders joined together at Lambeth Palace in London to issue a joint statement following the 7 July bomb attacks in the capital. They called for solidarity, prayers and common commitment among the UK’s faith communities.
The signatories were the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, the Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-OíConnor, the Free Churchesí Moderator, the Rev Dr David Coffey, the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Sir Jonathan Sacks, and the Chair of the Council of Mosques and Imams, Sheikh Dr Zaki Badawi.
The signatories also expressed the hope that other faith leaders and communities would want to associate themselves with what they had said by signing the declaration.
This is the second time that senior Christians and those of other faiths have joined together in recent weeks. The other occasion was an inter-faith statement in the run-up to last weekís G8 summit, backing the broad goals of the Make Poverty History campaign.
The full statement made today, referring also to the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, reads:
ìAs religious leaders from several different faiths we came together this morning to pay tribute to the courage, commitment and sacrifice by which the evil of Nazism was resisted and ultimately overcome sixty years ago.
ìWe stand together now for a further purpose: to express our shared commitment to resisting and overcoming the evil of terrorism, which the events of recent days here in London have brought home to us afresh and with such devastating clarity. It is an evil that cannot be justified and that we utterly condemn and reject.
ìOur hearts go out to those who grieve, those who mourn, and those who wait. We pray for them and with them. We remember the dead, the injured and the missing, as well as all those working to save life and restore health.
ìWe want to signal the common ground on which we stand as faith leaders, and to reaffirm the values we uphold at this time of sorrow and pain. It is vital, when many will be feeling anger, bewilderment and loss, to strengthen those things we hold in common and to resist all that seeks to drive us apart. Central to what we share as people of faith is a belief in God’s compassionate love for us. It is a love that compels us to cherish not to disfigure our common humanity.
ìWe commend and embrace the continuing efforts to build a Britain in which different communities – including faith communities – can flourish side by side on the basis of mutual respect and understanding. We pledge ourselves to remain true to this goal in word and deed and to work together to make of it an enduring reality. As we do so, we draw hope and comfort from the certainty that in seeking to overcome our own brokenness we will be working with the pattern of God’s design for all his children and for the whole human family.î
British religious leaders call for solidarity
-10/07/05
Today senior British religious leaders joined together at Lambeth Palace in London to issue a joint statement following the 7 July bomb attacks in the capital. They called for solidarity, prayers and common commitment among the UK’s faith communities.
The signatories were the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, the Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the Free Churches’ Moderator, the Rev Dr David Coffey, the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Sir Jonathan Sacks, and the Chair of the Council of Mosques and Imams, Sheikh Dr Zaki Badawi.
The signatories also expressed the hope that other faith leaders and communities would want to associate themselves with what they had said by signing the declaration.
This is the second time that senior Christians and those of other faiths have joined together in recent weeks. The other occasion was an inter-faith statement in the run-up to last week’s G8 summit, backing the broad goals of the Make Poverty History campaign.
The full statement made today, referring also to the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, reads:
‘As religious leaders from several different faiths we came together this morning to pay tribute to the courage, commitment and sacrifice by which the evil of Nazism was resisted and ultimately overcome sixty years ago.
‘We stand together now for a further purpose: to express our shared commitment to resisting and overcoming the evil of terrorism, which the events of recent days here in London have brought home to us afresh and with such devastating clarity. It is an evil that cannot be justified and that we utterly condemn and reject.
‘Our hearts go out to those who grieve, those who mourn, and those who wait. We pray for them and with them. We remember the dead, the injured and the missing, as well as all those working to save life and restore health.
‘We want to signal the common ground on which we stand as faith leaders, and to reaffirm the values we uphold at this time of sorrow and pain. It is vital, when many will be feeling anger, bewilderment and loss, to strengthen those things we hold in common and to resist all that seeks to drive us apart. Central to what we share as people of faith is a belief in God’s compassionate love for us. It is a love that compels us to cherish not to disfigure our common humanity.
‘We commend and embrace the continuing efforts to build a Britain in which different communities – including faith communities – can flourish side by side on the basis of mutual respect and understanding. We pledge ourselves to remain true to this goal in word and deed and to work together to make of it an enduring reality. As we do so, we draw hope and comfort from the certainty that in seeking to overcome our own brokenness we will be working with the pattern of God’s design for all his children and for the whole human family.’