Message from the Minister General on the Tragedy in Christchurch, New Zealand

In the name of the Order of Friars Minor, I wish to express our heartfelt condolences and prayers to the families and friends of the people so brutally murdered today, to the Muslim community of Christchurch and of New Zealand, and to the countless people throughout the world who mourn them. Before such incomprehensible hatred and unfathomable pain, I echo the words spoken earlier today by our brother Fr. Michael Calabria, President of our Order's Special Commission for Dialogue with Islam and Director of the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies at St. Bonaventure University (USA):

In the aftermath of the tragic attacks on the Muslim community in Christchurch, New Zealand, we wish to express our deepest sorrow for those whose lives were taken as they attended to prayer. We pray for God’s mercy upon them and comfort for their families and friends. As is written in Surah Yā Sīn (36.12): “Truly We shall give life to the dead.”

With faith in the One whose love is infinite, whose mercy is boundless, and whose justice is sure, I remain,

Your Brother and Servant,

Br. Michael A. Perry, OFM General Minister