Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, reassures Jewish community of his prayers after the terror attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, saying such tragedies ‘cannot be tolerated,’ that he is ‘shocked to the core,’ and that all have a duty to show ‘no place for such violence’ in society.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
“The killing of two Jewish worshippers, the injuries inflicted on others, and the attempt to drive a car into a crowd in Manchester today are expressions of utter hatred that must not be tolerated in this land. That such an attack is directed at the Jewish community, and on Yom Kippur, this most solemn of days, shocks me to the core.”
The attack, which occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, resulted in the deaths of two worshippers and injuries to several others. The assailant also reportedly attempted to drive a car into a crowd.
Elder brothers in faith
Cardinal Nichols, in his statement released Thursday, assured the Jewish community of his prayers and solidarity in the wake of the tragedy, as he recalled the deep spiritual ties between Christians and Jews.
“Jewish and Christian people are closely bound together in our common faith in God,” he said. “Indeed, in the Catholic tradition, Jewish people are held to be the ‘elder brothers’ in faith of our Christian family.”
Such violence and inhumanity ‘have no place’
He emphasized that such violence must have no place in society.
“My prayers, and those of the Catholic community, are heartfelt and profound — for those who have died, the bereaved, the injured, and those who will feel less safe tonight,” he said.
“It is a duty of us all,” he insisted, “to work together to ensure a more cohesive and respectful society, one in which such violence and inhumanity have no place.”
Local Bishop John Arnold of Salford and Bishop Patrick McKinney of Nottingham, the Lead Bishop for Interreligious Dialogue, released statements condemning the attack and calling for prayer and unity.
