Cardinal Secretary of State celebrated Mass for victims of March 11

Vatican City, Mar 25, 2004 / 22:00 pm

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican’s Secretary of State, presided at a Mass on Friday at St. Mary Major Basilica for the victims of the attack on March 11 in Madrid.

In his homily Cardinal Sodano affirmed that “on March 11, once again Cain has killed Abel! Once again man’s hatred has brought death to innocent persons!”

After underscoring the general concern in the face of  “the inhuman and anti-Christian phenomenon of terrorism,” the cardinal exhorted those present to reflect on “the explosive mixture of hatred, which can close itself within the heart of man and can explode when one least thinks.”

“Our duty will be, therefore, to continue to remind the men and women of our times of those great moral values that alone can give a secure foundation to human society, it will be our duty to remind everyone of the primacy of God in our lives,” he added.

With the certainty that God is Almighty, “we will look serenely to the future, continuing to pray and to work for a better world. Certainly, there are in the world those who speak of violence and death. But with the Pope today we wish to cry out to the world: ‘ Love is stronger than death! Love will triumph!’,” he concluded.