We in We Are Church Ireland offer our heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of the woman who was killed during the violent attack on people participating in the annual Pride Parade in Berlin. May she Rest in Peace. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and with all of those recovering from injuries, physical and/or emotional.
This incident strikes at the heart of the values we hold most dear: dignity, safety, inclusion and the right to live in honesty and integrity, free from fear of intimidation, rejection or violence.
We add our voice to that of Archbishop Heiner Koch of Berlin when he condemned the violence which left one woman dead and at least twenty nine injured, stating “Hatred must not win”.
We ask our Catholic Leadership to add their voices to those of their German brothers in prayer for the soul of the deceased, the healing of the injured and an end to violence against the LGBTQ+ community