By Kielce Gussie
Three days on from the tragic mass shooting in Bondi Beach, Australia, the local community turned one of their annual Christmas traditions into a ceremony of remembrance for the victims.
Each year, the façade of St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral in Sydney lights up with a display of religious images and stories. Thousands of families and young people come from everywhere to partake in what is a joyful Christmas celebration.
But this year, everything changed. Speaking to Vatican News, the Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, explained they decided to make the light show service of remembrance.
“May their memory be a blessing”
Jewish rabbis, leaders from various religions, the Prime Minister, the premier of New South Wales, and people from all walks of life gathered in the area in front of the Cathedral for the event. There was time for prayer, and Archbishop Fisher explained that all those gathered rededicated themselves to creating “a peaceful society where everybody’s respected and loved.”
15 candles were lit. One for each of the people killed in the shooting. Members of the Hindu, Jewish and Muslim communities were all given a candle to light.
While it’s very possible a permanent memorial could be placed at the site of the attack, the archbishop explained how the spot is now flooded with millions of bouquets of flowers. The victims and their families are not and have not been forgotten.
“They’re being delivered in such quantities”, Archbishop Fisher described, “they’re having to take them away to make room for the next lot of flowers”. The site has thus already become a monument where people gather to pray and remember.
This year, the climax of the light show is an image of a menorah with the Jewish saying “May their memory be a blessing.”
Two years of tension festering
Sadly, this attack comes after two years of tension in Sydney. The archbishop explained that people’s different views on the war between Israel and Gaza and all the politics attached to it “have spilled over locally into some very, very troubling demonstrations.”
While he recognized that people have the right to differ in viewpoints, Archbishop Fisher noted these protests “enabled people to show an antisemitism that perhaps has been beneath the surface in some people to show a level of hatred even for Jews that’s now turned into violence” in Sydney.
A very violent rhetoric has been boiling for the last two years. A sense of negativity and disbelief in the possibility of true peace grew. The archbishop recalled some people saying that the war would not be over while there was a single Israeli still alive. “That kind of talk provokes violence, and it’s radicalizing some of the young people”, he lamented.
A work in progress
This attack comes as the Catholic Church marks 50 years since the Second Vatican II document Nostra Aetate, which called on all Catholics to repudiate each and every form of antisemitism.
Yet, five decades on, Archbishop Fisher believes this is something to be taught in every generation “because this is a recurring hatred in human history. Again and again, we’ve got to call people to love the Jews.” For Christians especially, this is an urgent call as they are descendants of the Jewish people.
Popes John XXIII, Paul VI, and John Paul II all reiterated that Christians are children of the Jews and therefore, as the archbishop of Sydney explained, “we should have a special kind of reverence for them as we do for parents.”
To combat this seemingly growing antisemitic rhetoric and behavior in the midst of the current global scenario, Archbishop Fisher argued Catholics must take steps through preaching and education, “as means of teaching people love and respect and to engage in civil discourse when they disagree, not to turn to violence”.
This, the archbishop explained, is a message for every age, but is particularly relevant now in many parts of the world.
Moving forward for unified, loving community
The attack targeted the Jewish community, but as Archbishop Fisher highlighted, “there’s no doubt our whole community is traumatized by this.” Mass shootings are not common in Australia—the last was in 1996. As a result, the Sydney archbishop noted that most people assume they are safe.
But now, this last attack has left many shocked and scared. To help them heal and move forward, Archbishop Fisher explained the church’s role right now is to focus on emotional support and grief counselling. “We pray for the dead, and we’ve been having services of prayers,” the archbishop said.
Additionally, the archdiocese is offering their schools, social services, and counselling agencies because many of the ones in the Jewish community have been overwhelmed with the amount of people.
While there is still a great divide to bridge, Archbishop Fisher described a positive step forward with the Christmas light show and memorial service. “People were very united in wanting us to be unified, respectful, and loving community,” he recounted.
Some half a million from all different religious backgrounds gathered in front of the Cathedral for the event. That is why, the Archbishop of Sydney said, “the other religious leaders all agreed that the best place to have this service of remembrance was at St Mary’s Cathedral, because it has this history of bringing people of all faiths together.” – Vatican News
