Metropolitan Kirill Expresses His Condolences in connection with London Tragedy to the UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, the UK Ambassador to Russia Anthony Brenton, and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams
8.07.2005 · English, Архив 2005
Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, has sent messages of condolences in connection with the terrorist attack in the British capital to the UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland to the Russian Federation Anthony Brenton, and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. The full text of the messages see below.
The Right Honourable Jack Straw
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Your Excellency,
I am mourning together with the people of Great Britain for the guiltless victims of the terrible terrorist attacks targeted at the capital city of your state.
Dozens of the killed and hundreds of the injured – this is a result of the design conceived by those who trample upon all the fundamental norms of morality.
What has happened is a tragedy not only for Great Britain, but also for the whole world, for nobody can remain indifferent seeing people’s suffering.
The terrorist actions in London should unite in struggle all those for whom a human life is not an object of politics, but a great gift of God. It is my conviction of a bishop of a Church that endured great many bloody terrorist attacks and to this day has to confront the threat of terror daily. Let nothing, nor pursuit of benefit, nor strife or differences, prevent us from opposing together this formidable threat.
I pray for the rest of the souls of the dead and for the healing of the injured. May the Lord give strength to those who have lost relatives and friends. Many He send peace to all the people of Great Britain who have always endured enemies’ blows with dignity. I believe they will do it again.
Respectfully,
Kirill
Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad
Chairman
Department for External Church Relations
Moscow
Patriarchate
His Excellency Anthony Branton
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
to the Russian Federation
Your Excellency,
Reports about the strikingly cynical and inhuman terrorist attacks in London have been sorrowful news to me.
The unthinkable cruelty of the organizers and executors of these crimes show that they have thrown down a challenge to all that is sacred for humanity. Killing the innocent, they put themselves outside any religion. Condemning victims to suffering, they have condemned themselves to contempt by all loyal people and by history.
The disaster that has happened to your people fills our hearts with the feeling of compassion. Let us be one in the struggle against the evil that knows not of frontiers or nationalities.
I lift up prayers for those who were killed and pray that the injured may rise from their deathbed. May the Lord send strength to endure the disaster to those who have lost their relatives and friends.
Please, convey to the addressees the enclosed letters from His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia to Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth II, His Excellency Prime Minister Anthony Blair and His Grace Archbishop Rowan Williams.
Respectfully,
Kirill
Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad
Chairman
Department for External Church Relations
Moscow
Patriarchate
His Grace Rowan Williams
Archbishop of Canterbury
Primate of All England and Metropolitan
Your Grace and Dear Brother Archbishop Rowan Williams,
I deeply grieve the deaths and sufferings of innocent people resulted from the terrorist actions committed in London.
I feel strongly and understand your pain, since in recent years Russia has endured a whole series of terrible tragedies because of terrorists possessed by false ideas and seeking to sow fear and uncertainty in our souls.
However, fortified by our faith – ‘for the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him’ (Chron. 16:9) – we are called not to give way to fear and depression, but to find strength to oppose together the evil of terrorism.
I pray together with you that the souls of the innocent who were killed may find rest in ‘the houses of God’ (Ps. 83:14), that the injured may recover and that the sorrow throughout your country may be alleviated.
With love in the Lord,
Kirill
Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad
Chairman
Department for External Church Relations
Moscow
Patriarchate
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