The president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks with a call to build bridges of understanding and peace. The leader invited all Catholics to join in prayer for the victims who died 25 years ago at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the rural area of Pennsylvania, in acts of unjustifiable violence.
The text published by the USCCB specially remembers the families in mourning and the emergency workers who lost their lives in acts of courage. The note emphasizes that during the hours of uncertainty that followed the attacks, religious faith sustained the American nation in a new sense of unity.
The president of the Episcopal Conference invoked Pope Leo XIV to remind the faithful that peace is more than a goal, constituting a presence and a continuous journey even in the face of scenarios of destruction. The archbishop called for the construction of a civilization of love and universal fraternity, asking that the Holy Spirit conform the faithful ever more to the image of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
According to data referenced in the article, 2,977 people died in the United States on the day of the 2001 attacks, mostly in New York City, and more than 9,400 others died due to illnesses related to exposure to the consequences of the attacks, according to the federal program created to provide medical follow-up to these people.
