New York City, N.Y., Sep 9, 2011 / 14:23 pm
Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the world's need for compassion and justice in a letter marking the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania.
“It is my fervent prayer,” the Pope told New York Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan in the letter, “that a firm commitment to justice and a global culture of solidarity will help rid the world of the grievances that so often give rise to acts of violence and will create the conditions for greater peace and prosperity, offering a brighter and more secure future.”
In the letter, dated Sept. 11 but released two days in advance, Pope Benedict told Archbishop Dolan that his thoughts were occupied with the the “somber events” of 10 years ago, “when so many innocent lives were lost in the brutal assault on the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the further attacks in Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania.”
He noted that the “tragedy” of the 9/11 attacks had been “compounded by the perpetrators' claim to be acting in God's name.”