DAVID ADAMS reports…
Church groups and Christian leaders from across the globe have called for prayer in the wake of Friday night’s attacks in the French capital Paris.
The Islamic State has reportedly claimed responsibility for the coordinated series of attacks which has resulted in the deaths of at least 132 people and the wounding of more than 350, more than 40 of whom are in intensive care.
“The despicable jihadist violence that just hit our country must not prevail. Let us refuse to allow panic and hatred…France is not alone! At this time, millions of Christians around the world are praying for our country.”– A statement from the National Council of Evangelicals of France (Conseil National des Evangeliques de France (CNEF)) |
The attacks, involving firearms and suicide bombers, began at about 9pm on Friday night. Among those who died were about 90 people at a concert hall in the city’s east as well as people attending restaurants and bars at several different locations and others outside a stadium, the Stade de France, where an international soccer match between France and Germany was underway.
Seven assailants were killed during the attacks, including a number of suicide bombers. French police have released the details of one suspect, a French national, they are hunting in the wake of the attacks.
Among church leaders who have spoken out in the wake of the attacks was Pope Francis. Noting he would be praying for the victims, their families and the French people as a whole, he said there was “no justification for these things”, adding that it was “not human”.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said in a statement that the “sorrow in Paris is heart-breaking and the evil of those who planned and perpetrated the Paris atrocities is beyond measure or words”.
“We weep with the victims and with the bereaved. France is deeply wounded but will prevail with that courage and strength she has always shown. Wherever there is such wickedness Christ suffers afresh in the suffering of every human being. In solidarity let us be the source of consolation.
“The violence of this evil group brings terror to all, including in the Muslim world where its cowardly acts are opposed by many. This is a global and generational struggle against an evil cult that chooses death and fear. We choose life and hope, to overcome their hate with the power of God’s love. In solidarity across all faiths and none, and with all human beings, rather than in the victimisation of any, we will find the way to defeat the demonic curse of terrorism. Christians are called, like Jesus, to stand with the suffering and broken and to oppose evil and fear with all their strength.”
The National Council of Evangelicals of France, the Conseil National des Evangeliques de France (CNEF), issued a statement expressing its “compassion and solidarity” with the wounded and victims’ families.
“The despicable jihadist violence that just hit our country must not prevail,” it said. “Let us refuse to allow panic and hatred…France is not alone! At this time, millions of Christians around the world are praying for our country. Because of the Gospel, CNEF will stand alongside all those who want to defend life and liberty, the precious assets of humanity scorned today.”
Bishop Efraim Tendero, secretary general of the World Evangelical Alliance – of which the CNEF is a member, said he condemned the attacks in Paris along with two suicide bomb attacks in Beirut, Lebanon, on Thursday night.
“Yes, we are praying for France and Lebanon and we call on churches around the world to join us,” he said. “Pray for hope, pray for healing, and pray for wisdom as the two nations seek the right way forward.”
The World Council of Churches’ executive committee issued a statement calling on “all people of faith and goodwill” to stand together and “recommit to respecting and caring for one another, to protecting one another and preventing such violence”.
“We cannot and do not accept that such a terrorist atrocity can ever be justified in the name of God or of any religion. Violence in the name of religion is violence against religion. We condemn, reject and denounce it. Let us confront it by holding firm to and upholding the democratic, intercultural and human rights values that this terrorism seeks to attack.”
The statement urged people “not allow these events to diminish our care and hospitality to those fleeing violence and oppression”.
“Let us continue to strive to do what we know is required of us: to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God on the way of justice and peace.”
The attacks were also met with widespread condemnation from political leaders internationally.
French President Francois Hollande, who had to be evacuated from the stadium, described the attacks as “unprecedented” and an “act of war”, and declared a state of emergency in France, closing the borders. France is observing three days of mourning in the wake of the incident. A memorial service was held in Notre Dame on the weekend amid ongoing fears of further attacks.
World leaders – including US President Barack Obama, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin – have condemned the attacks and expressed their solidarity with France in standing against terrorism.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull – asked if he agreed with comments of Mr Hollande that his country and the Western world was at the war with terrorism – said while it “does look like war”, “we have to recognise that the resources, the strength of our states, of our nations, are so much greater than the terrorists”.
Speaking at the opening of the opening of the G20 Summit in Turkey on Sunday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the global response to terrorism needed to be robust but “always within the rule of law”.
Late on Sunday, French warplanes dropped bombs on the Syria city of Raqqa, often described as the “defacto capital” of the so-called Islamic State. The attack was reportedly carried out in coordination with the US.
