VATICAN CITY, MAR 26, 2004 (VIS) - Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of State, presided at a Mass this morning in St. Mary Major Basilica - of which the king of Spain is an honorary canon - for the victims of the attack on March 11 in Madrid. A number of cardinals, bishops and priests concelebrated with him. Among the faithful present were the ambassadors of Spain to Italy, to the Holy See and to the Sovereign Military order of Malta, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps and members of the Italian government.
In his homily Cardinal Sodano affirmed that "in the hour of pain, the Christian community felt the need to gather in prayer in this stupendous Roman basilica, to witness to their faith, to revive their own hope and to entrust into the merciful hands of the Father Who is in heaven, our brothers and sisters of Madrid, victims of the horrendous massacre that was perpetrated by murderous hands on March 11. Once again Cain has killed Abel! Once again man's hatred has brought death to innocent persons!"
The cardinal secretary of State said that faith in the Resurrection "brings us here today to look at the power of Christ. ... He can move even the hearts of the most rebellious of men, can open the eyes of who is blind. For this, today we wish to invoke God Almighty and All Merciful to help us in this hour of trial, helping even the most hardened of hearts to understand what is the only path to follow for those who see themselves as sons of the Father Who is in heaven."
After underscoring the general concern in the face of "the inhuman and anti-Christian phenomenon of terrorism," the cardinal exhorted those presented to reflect on "the explosive mixture of hatred, which can close itself within the heart of man and can explode when one least thinks. Our duty will be, therefore, to continue to remind the men and women of our times of those great moral values that alone can give a secure foundation to human society. It will be our duty to remind everyone of the primacy of God in our lives, of that God Who created us and Who one day will judge us."
Cardinal Sodano invited everyone to that hope "which makes us strong even in the harshest of trials during our earthly pilgrimage. The Providence of God always watches over us, in fact." And he added that "trust in God does not release us from our personal commitment to work to make those evils disappear which afflict our society."
With the certainty that God is Almighty, "we will look serenely to the future, continuing to pray and to work for a better world. Certainly, there are in the world those who speak of violence and death. But with the Pope today we wish to cry out to the world: ' Love is stronger than death! Love will triumph!'"
SS/VICTIMS ATTACK MADRID/SODANO VIS 20040326 (500)
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