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Plymouth: Candlelit vigil for victims of mass shooting


Source: Diocese of Plymouth

At an evening vigil of reflection and prayer was held at Plymouth Cathedral yesterday, for the innocent victims of the recent tragic shooting in Plymouth. People from different age groups, from across the city, lit six candles representing the five innocent victims and one for the injured and bereaved. The most poignant was that lit by a young three-year-old girl and her mother, for little Sophie Martyn who had been shot alongside her father.

In his homily, Bishop Mark O'Toole, the Bishop of Plymouth emphasised that "Darkness does not have the last word". He said it was important for the city to gather "in silence and in solidarity, to pray for the dead, for the injured, for the loved ones of those who lost their lives, and for all those who have been deeply affected by this tragic event." The bishop remarked that "our prayer for the innocent is an echo of the cry of Jesus on the Cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me"?

Bishop Mark emphasised that Jesus Christ, "knew from the inside the experience of darkness, of innocent suffering. In his own death on the Cross, Jesus confronted the mystery of evil and has overcome it." The bishop asked that "something of His life and light may fall upon us" so that "our city rise from this hour of darkness".

Pope Francis sent a message to those affected by the shootings. In a letter to Bishop Mark from the Secretary of State at the Vatican, the Holy Father expressed his spiritual closeness to the bereaved families and imparted his Blessing to all concerned.

Read the full text of Bishop Mark's reflection below.

Vigil of Prayer - Tuesday, 17th August - Plymouth Cathedral

"Certainly, the deaths of Maxine, Lee, little Sophie, Stephen and Kate have had a profound impact on us all.

We do not understand the madness, the darkness, that overtook their shooter five evenings ago in this hour. It is still with a sense of dismay, of deep sadness, that we gather this evening. We do so to be in silence and in solidarity, to pray for the dead, for the injured, for the loved ones of those who lost their lives, and for all those who have been deeply affected by this tragic event. We include the family of the shooter in our prayers. They, too, are victims.

As regards the shooter, our hearts are deeply disturbed. We know something of his struggle - that he felt "defeated by life" - but this does not answer the cry of our hearts regarding these innocents who have died or been injured, by his hand. So, him we can only offer to the judgment and purification of God.

The Psalmist sings that 'The Lord will guard us from evil' and we do not understand why that did not happen in our city on Thursday evening. In the face of the mystery of evil, of darkness, we can but stand in silence and lament. Our prayer for the innocent is an echo of the cry of Jesus on the Cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me"?

The Son of God Himself knew from the inside the experience of darkness, of innocent suffering. In his own death on the Cross, Jesus confronted the mystery of evil and has overcome it. Darkness does not have the last word. In experiencing Jesus in our own lives, we seek to give comfort to one another, to our city and especially to the injured and the bereaved. Because the Son of God overcame darkness through His death, His days in the tomb and in His Resurrection, in silence and in solidarity, we pray that something of His life and light may fall upon us.

So may our city rise from this hour of darkness. So may Maxine, Lee, little Sophie, Stephen, Kate and all the dead find a place of light and of peace."

There is an audio-visual recording of the vigil at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrsUBDDqZQs

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