Archbishop of Sydney

Terrorism in London

By + Cardinal George Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
17 July 2005

Things were looking up in Britain.  The U.K. had won the right to host the 2012 Olympic Games in London and was delighted.

The English cricket team might also be a real threat in the Tests as well as the one day matches.  Our champions are ageing, could be slipping from greatness.  Life after McGrath and Warne might be good for Aussie humility!

Then on the day after the Olympic triumph faceless terrorists exploded seven bombs killing at least 52 and wounding more than 700.  There is a special horror about being burned and wounded in the dark 60 metres underground.

Londoners and especially those involved responded with courage and dignity.  We owe them our admiration.  The English can be magnificent under pressure.  I grew up with stories of their bravery during the Blitz.

Perhaps some are a bit like their Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who, one English letter writer claimed, was magnificent in triumph and tragedy but struggled in ordinary situations!

Opinion throughout Europe echoed our sentiments in Australia.  I was then in Rome and soon the city was covered with posters, exclaiming “We are all Londoners.  Yes to freedom.  No to bombs”.  The Mayor of Paris made exactly that point.

No cause, no injustice could justify such slaughter of innocent people.  It was probably perpetrated by the worst elements associated with Al Qa’eda, those working to provoke a clash of civilizations.  We must resist this and not blame the majority of British Moslems for a crime which they too detest.  The fact that the double-decker bus was demolished in Tavistock Square, which is dedicated to peace and the victims of violence, is a useful reminder of our duties to tolerance and fair play.

Pope Benedict XVI at the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, Rome prayed for the victims and their attackers, urging them in God’s name to stop and abandon their hatred.

The Queen too struck the right note, simply stating that such brutal acts will not change our way of life.  Such atrocities “reinforce our sense of community, our humanity and our trust in the rule of law. 

That is the clear message from us all”.  And that is our message from the other end of the earth.