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#14 - JRL 9241 - JRL Home
Requiem service for victims of terrorist attacks in the USA held in Moscow

Moscow, September 12, Interfax - A service for the repose of the innocent souls killed by terrorists on 9/11 in the USA was conducted on Sunday at St. Catherine's Church-on-the-Ridge, the representation of the Orthodox Church in America in Moscow.

'This tragedy became a shock for the whole world, when two planes crushed into the buildings in New York. Unfortunately, today we have all become witnesses to the tragedies in Beslan, in London, in Moscow, in Sharm al-Sheikh and throughout the world', Archimandrite Zaccheus, rector of the church representation, said before the service.

At the same time he emphasized that 'it is the easiest way to fall into temptation of polemics and to present it all as a confrontation of religions'.

'What is most important for us however is that it is a war between good and evil', Archimandrite Saccheus said.

Present at the requiem service were US ambassador to Russia Williams Burns, ambassadors of Serbia, Bulgaria, Egypt, Ethiopia, as well as State Duma deputies, Moscow government officials, Russian Rail-Ways joint-stock company president Vladimir Yakunin, St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation president Alexander Melnik and others.

The American ambassador, in his turn, commemorated the victims of the Beslan tragedy. 'Time has not erased the memory of the innocent children, teachers and parents who were killed. The terrorists intended to sow division between us, but the Americans and Russians extended each other a helping hand. We will never forget the victims of these inhuman crimes', he said.