Uniting Church in Australia AssemblyUNITING CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA MEDIA RELEASE Mourning for SydneyThe Uniting Church in Australia mourns the deaths of those caught up
in the hostage-taking incident in a café in Sydney’s Martin Place. Rev.
Myung-Hwa Park, Moderator of the Uniting Church in NSW and the ACT, has offered
prayers and condolences on behalf of the Church.
“We continue
to pray for those caught up in the terrible events at Martin Place yesterday and
today,” said Rev. Park.
“Our thoughts
are with the families of those who have been lost in this tragic event. We
commend and thank our police, emergency services and community leaders for their
strength in handling such a difficult situation.
“We pray for
our community, that we will be closer and we will be tolerant. We stand side by
side with people of all faiths, upholding cultural diversity and harmony.
Together we will continue to pray for peace as our community grieves,” said Rev.
Park.
NSW Police
have confirmed that three people including the hostage-taker were killed and
four others injured when police stormed the Lindt Café in Martin Place in the
early hours of today. The police intervention ended a 16-hour siege during which
a man with a shotgun took hostages. The hostage-taker has since been identified
as a self-styled Islamic cleric facing serious criminal
changes.
“Our prayers
are with all those who have lost loved ones in this awful incident. We are
grieving with you,” said Uniting Church in Australia President, Rev. Professor
Andrew Dutney.
“To those who
have been injured and terrorised, we pray that you find the healing you need. As
authorities in NSW investigate the circumstances of the siege, we urge
Australians to show compassion and understanding to fellow Australians of the
Muslim faith.”
“I
wholeheartedly endorse the statements by Australian Muslim leaders yesterday
when their faith was wrongly associated with this incident,” said Rev. Prof.
Dutney.
The UCA
Assembly Acting General Secretary responsible for Relations with Other Faiths
Rev. Glenda Blakefield has welcomed the response by those already demonstrating
compassion.
“I am very
heartened at the spontaneous response so far through various interfaith services
and the I’ll Ride with You campaign on social media. This is the kind
of openness and sharing we must work hard to nurture and grow in our
country.
“We now face
a crucial test for interfaith solidarity and I urge Uniting Church members and
all Australians to reach out to their Muslim neighbours at this time,” said Rev.
Blakefield.
The Uniting
Church will be coordinating ecumenical chaplaincy supporting workers in the
Sydney CBD from today through the NSW Disaster Recovery Chaplaincy Network,
alongside other state agencies.
The Uniting
Church is looking to schedule an interfaith memorial service in the CBD in
coming days. <저작권자 ⓒ christianreview 무단전재 및 재배포 금지>
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