Pope Benedict XVI expressed “profound sorrow” on Sunday over the deadly attacks in Norway, and called on people to turn away from the path of hate. “We all feel profound sorrow for the serious terroristic attacks which took place on Friday in Norway,” the head of the Roman Catholic Church told pilgrims during his Angelus service at his lakeside summer residence outside Rome.
“We pray for the victims, for the wounded and their loved ones,” he said. “I want to repeat my appeal to everyone to give up forever the path of hate and to escape from the logic of evil,” Benedict said. The pope sent his condolences to the victims of Friday’s bomb and shooting attacks in a message to Norway’s King Harald V. He called on Norwegians to be “spiritually united” against hat ed, and to “work together fearlessly in shaping a future of mutual respect, solidarity and freedom for coming generations.”
At least 92 people were killed in the attacks, believed to be the work of one suspect in police custody, named by local media as Anders Behring Breivik. His Facebook page lists his religion as “fundamentalist Christian.”