POPE FRANCIS: TERRORISM IS A MADNESS THAT KNOWS ONLY HOW TO KILL

Vatican City, 19 July 2014 (VIS) – On Friday 18 July the Holy Father sent a video message to the Argentine Israeli community, to convey his closeness to the families of the victims of the bombing of the AMIA (Argentine Israelite Mutual Association), which took place twenty years ago in Buenos Aires (18 July 1994). It caused 85 deaths and more than 200 casualties, making it one of the most significant terrorist attacks the country has experienced.

“Terrorism is a form of madness”; says Francis in the recorded message. “Terrorism knows only how to kill – it does not build, it destroys. Therefore, I wish to express my closeness to all those who have seen lives derailed and hopes dashed, ruined. Sometimes it is said that Buenos Aires is a city that needs to mourn, but has not yet wept enough. At the risk of repeating a well-worn cliché, I repeat: we need to mourn more. We tend to set things aside, not to come to terms with our history, with our sufferings, with things that could have been beautiful but were not. For this reason, it is so difficult for us to find the path to justice, to settle the debt that this tragedy has contracted with society. Along with my closeness, along with my prayers for all the victims, today I wish to add my desire for justice to be done. May God bless you all, institutions and families. And may God give peace to those who died in this act of lunacy”.