News
World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit condemned recent attacks against civilians around the world, expressing his revulsion at their brutality.
Such terrorism attacks, wherever they occur, violate the most fundamental principles of faith and ethics, said Tveit.
In New York City on 31 October, a 29-year-old man drove into a crowd of bicyclists and pedestrians just blocks away from the World Trade Center, killing eight people and injuring more than a dozen others.
Earlier this month, on 14 October, a truck bomb attack in Mogadishu, Somalia, attributed to the militant group al-Shabab, took as many as 358 lives. At least 20 more lives were lost in Mogadishu on 28 October in bomb blasts and attacks by al-Shabab gunmen.
Tveit conveyed his condolences and his prayers for all those who lost loved ones in both Mogadishu and New York.
“I condemn these attacks as cruel, inhuman and unconscionable violations of the most fundamental principles of faith and ethics. The very different geographic and cultural contexts in which these attacks have taken place underline the extent to which extremist violence is a threat to all our communities and societies,” said Tveit.
“We stand in prayer and solidarity with all those affected by this violence, and against any ideology that seeks to justify it,” he added.
