Diocesan News
Bombing an ‘act of utter recklessness’ says Bishop Good
The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, the Rt Rev Ken Good, says the people responsible for the bomb attack in the centre of Londonderry on Saturday evening showed a “callous disregard” for human life.
CCTV footage released by the PSNI showed the bomb exploding not long after a group of young people had walked past the vehicle. The device had been left in a hijacked van which had been abandoned in front of the city’s courthouse.
Bishop Good condemned the bomb attack as “an act of utter recklessness”. In a statement he said: “It defies belief that anyone would place a bomb on a city–centre street, early on a Saturday evening, so close to people’s homes, churches, an hotel, sheltered accommodation, nearby pubs and a large car park.”
Bishop Street was still strewn with debris as the Bishop spoke to journalists on Monday morning. He said there were only two possible explanations for this kind of recklessness. “One is that the bombers didn’t think about the potential consequences of what they were doing. The other is that they did think through the possible consequences and still went ahead, and that’s even more worrying.
“It’s shocking to think what could have happened,” Bishop Good said. “There’s outrage and condemnation right across the city. There’s an infinitesimal number of people who support this and I would imagine that, because of this, even fewer people will want to support this kind of action.”
The explosion, and the subsequent security operation, forced the cancellation of Sunday morning services at St Columb’s Cathedral and St Augustine’s Church. In St Columb’s case, it was the first time in living memory there had been no Sunday morning worship.
The Archdeacon of Derry, the Ven Robert Miller, invited parishioners of both churches to attend morning services, instead, at St Peter’s Church of Ireland on Culmore Road or Christ Church on Infirmary Road. The Rector of St Augustine’s, the Rev Canon Malcolm Ferry, availed of the offer, leading a baptism service which had been scheduled for ‘the wee church on the walls’ but was relocated to St Peter’s – two miles away.
During the service, Christingle candles were lit to symbolise the Christian message. Bishop Good and his wife, Mary, joined the congregation in a gesture of solidarity with people who had been affected by the weekend bomb attack.
Included in the congregation were a group of young people who had gathered in St Augustine’s church hall the previous evening to prepare for the Christingle service, and found themselves being shepherded to safety following the bomb warning.
For further information please contact:
Diocesan Communications Officer, Derry & Raphoe
Mr Paul McFadden
028 7126 2440
07525 826290
press@derryandraphoe.org