Pope Benedict XVI praying for victims of terrorist attack in Mallorca

Mallorca, Spain, Aug 3, 2009 / 12:36 pm

This past Friday, Archbishop Juan del Rio Martin of the Military Archdiocese of Spain conveyed the solidarity and closeness of Benedict XVI to the family members and friends of the victims of last week’s terrorist attack in Mallorca.
 
During the funeral Mass for Officers Carlos Saenz de Tejada Garcia and Diego Salva Lezaun, which was attended by Bishop Jesus Murgui of Mallorca and the family members and friends of the victims, Archbishop Martin said the men were “vilely killed by the hurtful cruelty of ETA’s terrorist strategy.”

“These acts of violence not only gravely violate the right to life, freedom and the peaceful coexistence of the peoples of Spain, but also are an attempt to intimidate us and subject us to their intrinsically perverse and unjustifiable totalitarianism,” he said.
 
“We must not be discouraged even though the difficulties in ending terrorism and building peace are many.  The ‘sons of terror’ do not have the last word in this struggle, but rather those like these two young police officers, who work for peace, justice, defense and the freedom of society,” the archbishop said.
 
He said their deaths would bear “the fruit of truth, kindness and beauty, which we all need in this life to continue forward in hope,” and that amidst the doubts that so many are experiencing, we must not lose sight of the Lord.
 
“Today in this Cathedral of Mallorca,” the archbishop said, “the Spanish Conference of Bishops and the Pope wish to say to the family members and police officers here present: take courage, be brave, fear not, you are not alone, you have our support, affection and solidarity.”