Following yesterday’s attacks in Istanbul, believed by many to have been instigated by ISIS, faith voices around the world have been responding.
Pope Francis, this morning, reported by the Catholic News Agency:
During his Angelus address Wednesday Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims of Tuesday’s deadly attack on an Istanbul airport, asking that God would convert the hearts of those who choose violence.
“Dear brothers and sister, yesterday in Istanbul there was a heinous terror attack, which has killed and wounded many people. Let us pray for the victims, for their families and for the dear Turkish people,” the Pope said June 29…
Pope Francis offered prayers that the Lord would “convert the hearts of the violent and sustain our steps on the path to peace.”
Last night, the Anglican Church of Canada prayed on its Facebook page:
God of peace,
we lift up the people of Istanbul.
Comfort the weary,
bring healing to those who are wounded,
and receive those who have died into your loving arms.
Be present, O merciful God, and protect all you children through the hours of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in your eternal changelessness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.Please add your petitions in the comments below.
…and this morning released a statement from Archbishop Fred Hilz. From that statement:
As many of you know, I fly a lot in the work of my ministry, and I never pass through an airport without a prayer for all who are travelling. Once on board and settled in my seat, I pray particularly for the captain, crew, and all onboard the flight that we may know travelling mercies. Please join me in praying for all who travel and for all whose work is ensuring their security and safety.
Let us remember before God all the victims of the bombings in Istanbul and their loved ones who grieve.
Let us pray all those seriously injured and traumatized and those who tend them in hospitals.
Let us pray too for all who are perpetrators of religiously-based violence and the chaos it brings.
Pray for conversion of hearts.
Pray that the world be free of such crimes against humanity.
The Anglican Communion News Service has published a collection of responses, including prayers from the Archbishop of Canterbury and other faith voices:
“Our hearts cry out in prayer for the victims and families of the terrible attack in Istanbul,” the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said on Twitter. “In prayer and faith we also commit to resisting the evil of violence and religious extremism.”
In Istanbul itself, The Diocese in Europe’s chaplaincy at Christ Church – where three of the stained glass windows in its Consulate Chapel were restored after a previous terrorist attack in 2003 – said on its website: “We pray for all who will not hear the Gospel of love on this – another day of evil murders in Istanbul.” One of the restored windows at the chapel depicts Jesus handing the keys of heave to St Peter.
The general secretary of the World Council of Churches, the Revd Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, described the attack as an “odious crime”, saying: “We pray for the victims and their families; and we hope and pray there can be a redoubling of efforts to bring peace to the region to end the conflicts which are fuelling such odious criminal acts.
The Episcopal Peace Fellowship posted a prayer “adapted from Sister Joan Chittister, Benedictine Sister of Erie” on its Facebook page. From that prayer:
We ask for the love it takes
to bequeath to the children of the world to come
more than the failures of our own making.
We ask for the heart it takes
to care for all the peoples
of Afghanistan and Iraq, of Palestine and Israel
of Turkey, as well as for ourselves.Give us the depth of soul, O God,
to constrain our might,
to resist the temptations of power
to refuse to attack the attackable,
to understand
that vengeance begets violence,
and to bring peace–not war–wherever we go.For You, O God, have been merciful to us.
For You, O God, have been patient with us.
For You, O God, have been gracious to us.And so may we be merciful
and patient
and gracious
and trusting
with these others whom you also love.