The Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels has thanked Christians for gestures of support in the wake of bombings in his city and urged Belgians not to stoke xenophobic feeling.
Archbishop Jozef De Kesel, president of the Belgian bishops’ conference, said: “The messages we’ve received from everywhere – from the Pope and bishops worldwide – are very important as signs of fraternity, which let us feel how we are united in faith and in humanity.”
“We must stay faithful to our message of peace and go on promoting a discourse which appeals for acceptance, brotherhood and co-existence. This type of attack shows how anyone can be affected and the great danger that fear will appear everywhere. There’s a temptation to react by turning against migrants and refugees, who’ll become victims once again.”
The archbishop spoke to the French Catholic newspaper La Croix after the March 22 terrorist attacks, which left at least 35 dead at Zaventem airport and Maelbeek metro station. The Belgian government announced three days of national mourning after the attacks, which ISIS claimed to have carried out.
“Such heinous attacks are antithetical to the ideals of civilised society,” the council said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a Catholic priest who ministered to survivors of the attacks at Brussels airport said he was struck by the “profound humanity” shown by those caught up in the situation.
Fr Michel Gaillard said: “I’m moved by how many have placed themselves at the service of the injured and traumatised.”
The priest said: “This event has reminded us of our vulnerability – as well as of the bonds of profound humanity we reveal in showing care and compassion for each other.”
Vatican to open ‘Dirty War’ archives at the Pope’s request
At the request of Pope Francis, material in the Vatican secret archives relating to Argentina’s “Dirty War” is expected to be opened in the coming months, a Vatican spokesman has said.
Fr Federico Lombardi told journalists that the cataloguing of materials related to Argentina’s dictatorship continues to move forward.
“The work goes on regularly and is expected to be completed over the next few months,” he said, adding that the timing and conditions under which the material may be studied will be agreed upon with the Argentine bishops’ conference.
The Vatican’s announcement comes several days after the US government announced it would declassify military and intelligence records from that time in Argentina’s history. Both announcements came in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the coup that brought the dictatorship of Jorge Rafael Videla to power.
At the conclusion of his weekly general audience the Pope greeted relatives of people who disappeared during the dictatorship. Among them was Marie-Noëlle Tisseau, whose sister disappeared in 1976.
Pontiff gains Instagram following
Pope Francis has amassed 2.1 million followers on Instagram just two weeks after joining it. The first post at the account, named Franciscus, on the photo-sharing social media platform was a picture of the Pontiff praying, accompanied by the phrase “pray for me”. Other posts, including more pictures of the Pope at prayer and a video in which the Pontiff delivers a message of mercy, have since appeared.
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