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Zubik and Diocese of Pittsburgh pray for victims of 9/11 while Cordileone says, ’Thank you for the sacrifices’

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Laurie A. Luebbert Sep 15, 2022

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Catholics marked the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with messages of hope. | Aaron Burden/Unsplash

The Diocese of Pittsburgh joined Catholics across the country in remembering 9/11 on the 21st anniversary of the terror attacks.

“On this 21st memorial of #911, pray for the dead and pray for an end to the divisions, fears, prejudices, injustices and lies that produce terror in our world. Where there is hatred, let us sow love. #Catholic #911memorial,” Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik tweeted.

It was a sentiment echoed by other Church leaders, with some dioceses celebrating with remembrance Masses.

“Dear police officers, firefighters, sheriffs and park rangers of our city of San Francisco: It is an honor for us to host you here… for this Mass in which we thank you for the sacrifices you make for us, sacrifices mostly which we do not even see,” Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said in a Twitter post Sunday.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), much like it has done previously, also addressed the topic.

“As we remember Sept. 11, 2001, let us reflect on Pope Francis' Prayer of Remembrance at Ground Zero in 2015,” the USCCB tweeted. The tweet shared an excerpt from Pope Francis’ prayer from the Ground Zero Memorial during his visit to New York in September, 2015.  The full prayer can be found here.

The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were a subject of prayer and pastoral messages from the outset.

The USCCB released a pastoral message called “Living With Faith and Hope After September 11” about two months after the attacks. In it, the USCCB quotes the Beatitudes (Mt. 5:4,6,7,9) and said, “We offer words of consolation, criteria for moral discernment, and a call to action and solidarity in these troubling and challenging times.”

The bishops also honored the men and women, firefighters, police, chaplains and many others who died as a result of the attacks or the aftermath. The document focuses on responding with faith and justice, and to further understand the role that religion can play in politics and specifically with terrorism. The USCCB emphasized the nation’s commitment to the common good, in unity with a determination to come together and defend America from all future threats, according to the pastoral message.

Last year, the Pillar released an article titled “The Catholic Church and 9/11” documenting stories and testimonials from that day. Pope St. John Paul II addressed the attacks on Sept. 12, 2002, and said, “Christ’s word is the only one that can give a response to the questions which trouble our spirit. Even if the forces of darkness appear to prevail, those who believe in God know that evil and death do not have the final say,” the Pillar article says.

A prayer service was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City 10 years after the attacks, with a Brooklyn pastor saying, “We decided to have exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. People flocked to the church… We held many funerals for police and fire persons who gave their lives,” the Pillar adds.

Father Brian Jordan, a Franciscan Friar, offers a video in which he tells the story of the Ground Zero Cross that survived the attack despite being in the middle of so much wreckage.

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