Bishop Alan Williams, currently on his way to Lourdes where he will celebrate the 11 pm Night Mass at the Grotto in Lourdes on Easter Monday, has spoken of his great dismay at the tragic events in Sri Lanka.
“I heard about the attacks in Sri Lanka with great sorrow. The timing was particularly awful – Easter is a time to celebrate new life. The deaths of so many innocent people in churches and hotels have shocked everyone throughout the world. This awful event resonates with what happened not long ago in Christchurch but is on an even greater scale. As I wrote to the Bishop Paul Martin of Christchurch then, these attacks shock all those who hold that respect for human life is an essential foundation for every society.
“As Christians we express a commitment to peace which is universal. We pray for peace and a conversion of the men and women of violence who commit such acts.”