ROME (OSV News): Pope Leo XIV commemorated the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, in his Sunday Angelus address, praying for “those who continue to bear the wounds of that tragic day.”
Pope Leo said, “Two days ago marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States of America.”
The pope said, “I renew my prayers for those who lost their lives and for those who continue to bear the wounds of that tragic day.,”
He said, “At a time when conflict and violence afflict so many of our brothers and sisters, I invite everyone to pray that the Lord will bestow his gift of peace upon the world.”
The pope added that the memory of the tragic events of 9/11 “prompts us to renew our commitment to peace, first and foremost through prayer, which we entrust to the intercession of the Virgin Mary.”
At the time, Pope Leo, then-Father Robert Prevost, was 45-years-old and in Rome taking part in the Augustinian Order’s ordinary general chapter, on the date of the 9/11 attacks that left nearly 3,000 people dead that day, with thousands more dying of related illnesses in the aftermath. Just days later, on 14 September 2001, his 46th birthday, he was elected prior general of the worldwide order.
As the newly elected head of the Augustinian Order, Father Prevost reflected on “the tragic events that shook the United States on September 11” in his homily for the closing Mass of the order’s meeting 21 September 2001.
“The violence that the world witnessed last week in the United States is a tragic expression of a series of problems that are becoming increasingly acute everywhere. Hatred and violence will continue to grow as long as so many people are forced to live in extreme poverty and are oppressed by so many forms of injustice,” Father Prevost said in his homily in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, according to Vatican News.
“While many seek revenge,” he said, “Augustinians must bear witness to the gospel and to its values of unity, dialogue, peace, and reconciliation.”
