November 24, 2003
On behalf of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson
today issued a statement expressing condemnation of the recent
bombings of two synagogues in Turkey, as well as British
interests:
“We unequivocally condemn these
vicious attacks on religious communities, places of worship, and
British-related government and commercial work places in Istanbul.
We grieve for the bombing victims and we express our condolences
to the families and communities which have suffered such great
losses. We stand united with Jews, Christians and Muslims in this
country and around the world who reject the targeting of innocent
people.
“Such acts of terrorism against Jews are intolerable and cannot be
justified by extremists who distort religion for their own ends.
As people of faith we are called to play an important role in
confronting religious intolerance, violence and hatred in all its
forms. We need to be in dialogue with people from other religious
traditions, defend the values of our common Abrahamic heritage and
strengthen our resolve to work together for peace.”
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Chicago, Illinois
