The Anglican Bishop of Manchester has urged churches in the city to open their doors on Tuesday in the wake of Monday night’s explosion outside a concert venue that left 22 people dead and some 59 injured.
Speaking to Premier News in the UK, the Rt Rev David Walker said he hoped churches would make space for people who wanted to “find somewhere to pray quietly”.
“At times of like this, prayer is one way in which we can pour out to God our grief but also go to God to rekindle our hope that we live in a world for which Jesus died and rose again,” he said. “Nothing, no matter how many killed or injured in a blast can take that central truth away.”
Meanwhile, in comments posted on Twitter, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: “Heroic Manchester, dark evil cannot overcome it. We pray for those in sorrow on the hard journey of loss & pain, & for those who protect us.”
Police have said they believe the explosion occurred when a man detonated an improvised explosive device outside the Manchester Arena – where an Ariana Grande concert was concluding – at about 10.30pm Monday night.
