Solidarity and sorrow

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 426.

After the attacks condolences from world leaders, messages of love, financial generosity and support from world citizens, flowers left at U.S. embassies, candle light vigils held all over the world and thousands of people signing condolence books, showed the firm solidarity of all nations with the United States of America.

Many people who were looking for security found it in religious faith or the church. They felt alone and were sad, but in church they had the chance to meet people experiencing similar feelings. In September 2001, Canon Jim Rosenthal of the Anglican Communion explained that, "church is still one of the main ways for people to be with each other and with God". A spokesman of the Evangelical Church said that in Germany the number of church visitors doubled after September 11. Also synagogues and churches in Great Britain were attended in greater numbers than before the attacks.

On September 12 many German politicians including Chancellor Gerhard Schruder and Federal President Johannes Rau commemorated the victims of 9/11 at the St.-Hedwigs Cathedral in Berlin. Memorial church services took place in many countries of the world. In New York, 26,000 people gathered on September 23 at the baseball stadium of the New York Yankees in remembrance of the victims of the attacks. Even in the Lebanon and Palestine thousands of Christians, Jews and Muslims mourned together and lighted candles in front of U.S. embassies. Flags flew at half mast almost everywhere.