Brussels the day after. The city awoke still overcome by choc before the horror experienced beyond imagination. Waking up was made more difficult by the images of all those who lost their lives under the attack of the suicide bombers. Young faces, broken lives. At 12. p.m. Brussels held a minute of silence in memory of the victims, church and chapel bells tolled mourning across the Country. It’s the sign of a profound feeling of sadness that afflicts the country, as well as a message of hope. The city cannot die in this way. It must react, it must continue to live. Those were the first words uttered on the phone by Msgr. Jozef de Kesel, president of Belgian bishops, archbishop of Malines-Brussels.
Your Excellency, what is the climate in Brussels, the day after the attacks?
We’re still under choc for what has happened. Yesterday we stood waiting for news updates all day long. We didn’t know what had happened exactly, how many victims there were. Now we know that 31 were killed. The attacks were in the international airport and in the heart of the city’s metro station. The most widespread feeling is a hanging question:
How could it happen?
How can it be possible to carry out such actions that go beyond imagination. It’s a form of blind violence that strikes arbitrarily. Now many people are saying: “I could have been there”, “some days ago I was at that same place at the airport.” There is deep suffering. Yesterday we had to cancel the Chrismal Mass for security measures. This gives an idea of the seriousness of the choc.”
At Wednesday’s audience Pope Francis condemned the “cruel abominations” and asked to pray “to convert the hearts of those people taken in by cruel fundamentalism,” What impression do these words make on you?
They are strong words. Yesterday I recalled a quotation from prophet Ezekiel “I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” It’s a phase that calls upon us all to be animated by spirit not by stone. And we’re asking it today especially for those who carry out similar acts.
Pope Francis was deeply shocked by the attacks.
Through Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, the Pope sent a message to the Church of Belgium.
How can we cope with fear?
Fear lingers on. It thrives inside us. There isn’t much to do but to resist to this fear.
We understand why yesterday the Chrismal Mass was cancelled for security reasons. It was to prevent that something else could happen. So, yes, we are afraid. But then we must not let this fear stop us.
We must resist. Life goes on. Over the past hours I have been preparing my homily for Easter. We are about to celebrate the feast of Easter, that is a source of hope for all. Christ was raised. He conquered death and won over all that leads to death. He conquered hatred. The feast of Easter is not an imaginary celebration. We are celebrating it today in our actual context and it will be a feast of Hope. This is the message I would like to give to the population.
The terrorists that carried out the attacks were all of Arab origin, and the terror was carried out speaking the Arabic language. Aren’t you afraid that these facts could divide the population?
We must absolutely avoid that what has happened will turn against the Muslim community. It would be terribly unjust. Here in Belgium the Muslim leadership took a clear and firm stand against such actions. Indeed, these acts are marked by such a degree of cruelty to be totally unrelated with religion or Islam.
What is your appeal to the population of Brussels and of all of Belgium?
We absolutely need to continue fighting and work for a better and more fraternal world based on mutual respect
I consider it to be a fundamental value for our increasingly pluralist societies where there no longer is a majority community or a majority religion. In these conditions societies should be based on peace, and on mutual respect in particular. We have been invited by the Parliament in Brussels as religious leaders of the city – Jews, Muslims, Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants – to show our unity as religious leaders, the unity of our Country and our responsibility as citizens to fight against fear and live peacefully side by side.
