Church leaders across the nation are expressing profound grief and disbelief following the tragic attack in Southport, which claimed the lives of three children and left five others, along with two adults, critically injured. The incident occurred during a dance class inspired by Taylor Swift, attended by primary school-aged children.
Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Rev Justin Welby, labeled the attack “appalling” and “devastating.” He took to social media, stating, “My prayers are with the victims of the appalling stabbings in Southport today – especially with the parents and loved ones of the children who were killed. I pray that God would draw near and comfort them in this unimaginable grief. I pray too for those who were injured, their families, those caring for them, and for those who witnessed and responded to this devastating attack.”
The Archbishop of York, Most Rev Stephen Cottrell, echoed these sentiments, writing, “Praying this evening for the souls of those who died and for those injured in today’s horrific knife attack in Southport. Praying also for their families and all who are caring for them.”
Local churches have opened their doors to support the grieving community, with a vigil planned for this evening. Rt Rev Thomas Neylon, Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool, shared his reaction to Premier Christian Radio, saying, “I think I just felt numbness. I was in shock.
The reality of all this began to hit home when it was mentioned later in the day that children had died. I feel really, really sad for them, and I pray for them. I just hope that as the days and the weeks go by, there’ll be some ease and peace for these people. But I think it will be a long journey for those immediately involved, not just for others in the community.”
Holy Family Church, located a few streets from the attack site, promptly opened its doors. Neylon noted, “People were trickling in, having time to pray, maybe to light a candle, to chat with a priest. The church is open again all day today, so I think the priests will see who turns up and just be there to respond as best they can.”
Phil Jump, chair of Churches Together in Merseyside and Regional Minister for the North West Baptist Association highlighted the collective efforts to help the community process their grief. “Holy Trinity Church is open, and there was a vigil last night at the local Anglican Church that will carry on.
We’ve also put a prayer online because we know the football club is organizing vigils, along with other groups in the community. So we’ll also seek to resource that because people want to come together in different ways, in different contexts, to express their grief and solidarity with the families who’ve been so devastatingly affected by this.”
Jump concluded, “People want to do something, they want to have a vigil, they want a church open. That is part of the way that we cope with these immense periods of grief. North Merseyside is a very resilient, close community. So, while this is a devastating tragedy, the community is coming together, doing what they can to stand with these families. There are no words to describe the sadness, shock, or mindlessness of what happened.”
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