New York (AsiaNews) - "God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world"; "Turn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred"; "give us the wisdom and courage to work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love reign among nations and in the hearts of all": these are some of the invocations that Benedict XVI expressed this morning at Ground Zero, the place of the attacks of September 11, 2001. Almost seven years ago, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were melted and incinerated, after being struck by two airplanes in two almost simultaneous Islamic terrorist attacks. More than 3,000 people died because they were trapped in the buildings, trying to flee, or - like many firemen - in the attempt to save someone. Ground Zero became the starting point for an international fight against Islamic terrorism; for al-Qaeda, it was the first victory in a campaign to conquer the world. The pope has made it a place of prayer to ask God for the "healing" of those who are wounded, of those who hate; of the world that wants to construct peace without forgetting "the lives lost here".
Present at the simple ceremony were relatives of the victims, some of the survivors, and a delegation from the emergency services (firemen, police). Also present were Michael Bloomberg, the city's mayor; New York governor David A. Paterson, and the governor of New Jersey, John Corzine. The pope was accompanied by Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop of New York.
After a long period of silence on his knees, the pope lit a candle, very similar to the paschal candle, and recited a prayer that we present here in its entirety:
O God of love, compassion, and healing,
look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions,
who gather today at this site,
the scene of incredible violence and pain.
We ask you in your goodness
to give eternal light and peace
to all who died here—
the heroic first-responders:
our fire fighters, police officers,
emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel,
along with all the innocent men and women
who were victims of this tragedy
simply because their work or service
brought them here on September 11, 2001.
We ask you, in your compassion
to bring healing to those
who, because of their presence here that day,
suffer from injuries and illness.
Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families
and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy.
Give them strength to continue their lives with courage and hope.
We are mindful as well
of those who suffered death, injury, and loss
on the same day at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Our hearts are one with theirs
as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering.
God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world:
peace in the hearts of all men and women
and peace among the nations of the earth.
Turn to your way of love
those whose hearts and minds
are consumed with hatred.
God of understanding,
overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,
we seek your light and guidance
as we confront such terrible events.
Grant that those whose lives were spared
may live so that the lives lost here
may not have been lost in vain.
Comfort and console us,
strengthen us in hope,
and give us the wisdom and courage
to work tirelessly for a world
where true peace and love reign
among nations and in the hearts of all.
At the end, after the blessing, in a moment of great emotional impact, the emergency services representatives and the relatives of the victims greeted the pope one by one, while Cardinal Egan introduced them and briefly recounted their connection to the pain and suffering at Ground Zero.
