Pope Leo commemorates 9/11, praying for all who ‘bear wounds of that tragic day’

ROME (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV commemorated the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, in his Sunday Angelus address, praying for “those who continue to bear the wounds of that tragic day.”

Speaking from the window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace Sept. 13, the first U.S.-born pope said, “Two days ago marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States of America.”

“I renew my prayers for those who lost their lives and for those who continue to bear the wounds of that tragic day,” he said. “At a time when conflict and violence afflict so many of our brothers and sisters, I invite everyone to pray that the Lord will bestow his gift of peace upon the world.”

Switching from English to Italian, the pope added that the memory of the tragic events of 9/11 “prompts us to renew our commitment to peace, first and foremost through prayer, which we entrust to the intercession of the Virgin Mary.”

Pope Leo, then-Father Robert Prevost, was 45 years old and in Rome taking part in the Augustinian Order’s ordinary general chapter, on the date of the 9/11 attacks that left nearly 3,000 people dead that day, with thousands more dying of related illnesses in the aftermath. Just days later, on Sept. 14, 2001, his 46th birthday, he was elected prior general of the worldwide order.

As the newly elected head of the Augustinian Order, Father Prevost reflected on “the tragic events that shook the United States on Sept. 11” in his homily for the closing Mass of the order’s meeting Sept. 21, 2001.

“The violence that the world witnessed last week in the United States is a tragic expression of a series of problems that are becoming increasingly acute everywhere. Hatred and violence will continue to grow as long as so many people are forced to live in extreme poverty and are oppressed by so many forms of injustice,” Father Prevost said in his homily in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, according to Vatican News.

“While many seek revenge,” he said, “Augustinians must bear witness to the Gospel and to its values of unity, dialogue, peace, and reconciliation.”

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