Christian church leaders in Manchester have expressed solidarity with their Jewish community after a deadly attack on a nearby synagogue.
Fr Joshy Joseph, parish priest at St Anne’s Crumpsall, just minutes from Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, told Premier Christian News his congregation was in the middle of Mass followed by a coffee morning, when they heard the news. “People were really shocked,” he said. “We huddled together as one community, not only Catholics but people of other faiths too.”
Greater Manchester Police said at least two people were killed on Thursday morning after an assailant drove a car into pedestrians and stabbed a security guard near a synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.
Police said the suspect, who was believed to be carrying a bomb, was shot after armed officers rushed to the scene.
Police responded after a witness said a car had rammed members of the public and that one man had been stabbed. The suspect was believed to be dead, but officers could not confirm this "due to safety issues surrounding suspicious items on his person", with a bomb disposal unit called to the scene.
Fr Joseph explained that St Anne’s has opened its doors to anyone who needs prayer, conversation or a safe place. “As Jesus said, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself,’ and that’s meant for everyone, no matter which faith or community they belong to,” he said.
The incident has shaken local communities but also drawn them closer together. “We’ve had people calling from different faiths asking if we are safe," Fr Joshi said. "That’s been really encouraging."
He added: "We are here to show support and compassion to anyone who has been affected.”
Rt Rev David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, told Premier that he lives only a mile away from the scene.He called on Christians to stand alongside their Jewish neighbours at this time of grief and fear.
"It's very important, firstly, that we that we reach out to those who are more directly affected, so that's our Jewish communities, and and to hold them in our prayers... and that we just let them know that we're that we're with them," he said.
He also warned against politicising the tragedy.
"I think if we go down that route, then we get into the grounds of potentially justifying such violence, such atrocities," Bishop David said. "And we must always stay with the fact that this is a human being who chose to kill other human beings simply on the basis of the religious faith that they profess.
"And we need to keep it as simple as that, and that our response, therefore, is to ally ourselves with those who are victims as Christ himself on the cross allied himself with all who are victims of terror and oppression and persecution."
Sir Keir Starmer said he was "appalled' by the attack" and flew back to the UK early from Denmark to chair a meeting of the COBRA emergency committee.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said it was a '"vile" attack, and the King and Queen said they're "deeply shocked".
