WASHINGTON—Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, Bishop of Springfield, Massachusetts and Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs have issued a joint statement in response to Sunday's attack on worshipers outside a mosque in London.
The attack occurred
after a van plowed into a crowd existing a mosque after Ramadan prayers near
Finsbury Park located in north London.
The full joint statement follows:
"We would
like to express our deepest condolences to the people of London
who once again woke to the news of a terrorist attack. Our prayers
extend especially to the community of Muslims
from Finsbury Park Mosque in North London whom it appears were the
intended victims of the attacker.
Once again, in
this now sad reality of regular acts of terror that are
meant to destroy life and to crush hope, we remember
that light has overcome darkness once and for all. Let us be united in
hope and with one voice reject utterly all forms of terror and violence that
seek to dissuade us from the pursuit of a culture of life and
solidarity.
The
Bishops of the United States unequivocally reject such acts of
violence and plead with all people to cease from committing or plotting to
commit further acts.
In this dark
hour for the people of London, especially the Muslim community, please
know that we stand in solidarity with you, mourning for the loss of life and
praying for the victims, their families, and the entire nation."