An Interfaith Prayer for the Victims in Brussels

By Rod Anderson, CP Cartoonist Thursday, March 24, 2016

Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury called for prayers Tuesday after 34 were killed and at least 180 injured in terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium.

The Vatican's secretary of state released a statement on behalf of the pope to Archbishop Jozef De Kesel of Malines-Bruxelles, saying the pontiff will pray for the victims of this "blind violence."

"Having learned of the attacks in Brussels, affecting many people, His Holiness Pope Francis entrusts the deceased to God's mercy and joins in prayer in the suffering of their relatives," the statement said, adding that the pope "expresses his deepest sympathy for the injured and their families, and all those who contribute to the rescue operations, asking the Lord to bring them comfort and consolation in their ordeal."

"The Holy Father again condemns the blind violence which causes so much suffering, and imploring of God the gift of peace, he invokes for the bereaved families and the Belgian people the consolation of divine blessings," the statement added.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby also decried the violence in a Facebook post, writing that the attacks "shock all those who seek peace and justice through the terrible cruelty and utter separation from all that is of God."