Following the terrorist attack on Istanbul's Attaturk international airport on Tuesday, 28 June, Cardinal Vincent has writtent to the Archbishop of Istanbul and to the Turkish Ambassador to the UK expressing his shock and offering his condolences.
In his letter to Archbishop Levon Boghos Zekiyan, the Cardinal wrote: 'I am writing to offer my heartfelt condolences for all those who died and were injured following the gun and bomb attack on Istanbul's Ataturk international airport. This atrocity has shocked the world and all who hold that respect for human life is an essential foundation for every society.
'May God grant strength and enduring faith to all who are bereaved, injured and traumatised. May God welcome into his merciful presence all who have died. May God turn the hearts of all who commit evil to a true understanding of his desire and intention for humanity.
'I assure you, too, of the prayers and condolences of the Catholic Community in England and Wales. We, too, mourn this loss of life. We pray for the eternal repose of all who have died.'
Similarly, in the letter to Ambassador Abdurrahman Bilgic, the Cardinal wrote: 'I am writing to offer my sincere condolences on the tragic loss of life following the gun and bomb attack on Istanbul's Ataturk international airport. This atrocity has shocked the world and all who hold that respect for human life is an essential foundation for every society.
'I would like to assure you that the victims, their families and the wider society are very much in my prayers. I assure you, too, of the prayers and condolences of the Catholic Community in England and Wales. We, too, mourn this loss of life. We pray for the eternal repose of all who have died.'
