Madrid, Spain, Mar 13, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Before a large assembly of the faithful, civil and military authorities, and family members of victims gathered at the Archdiocesan cathedral to commemorate the first anniversary of the Madrid train bombings, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, Archbishop of Madrid, said, “Terrorism will never have the last word,” and he exhorted all to “overcome evil with good.”
During the Mass which was concelebrated by the Apostolic Nuncio in Spain, Archbishop Manuel Monteiro, Bishop Ricardo Blazquez, President of the Bishops Conference of Spain, and twenty other Spanish bishops, Cardinal Rouco urged that “spiritual and material” comfort continue to be shown towards the victims and their families.
In his homily, the cardinal noted that, “The Cross of Christ was made present in an inexplicable, absurd and tragic way in the terrible terrorist attacks that shook the conscience of our city and of the whole world,” leaving us with the spiritual impression of “having been tried in the crucible.”
Cardinal Rouco recalled the “sacrifice” of the 192 victims and the suffering of their family members, and he expressed his hope for “peace in the hearts of all those who will live forever with this tragedy.” After alluding to the death of Christ, he reminded those gathered that “death is not that last reality of human life.”