April 8, 2011

Tragedy in Tasso da Silveira Elementary School, Rio de Janeiro Brasilia, April 7th, 2011. "I am the resurrection and the life." John 11,25.

With great sadness we have been witnessing a day of tragedy in a school environment, at Tasso da Silveira elementary school, in Rio de Janeiro.

It is time for us to discuss our security system, especially the security in our public schools. It was a beautiful day, which looked like a normal day, just one more day of school for so many young students of Tasso da Silveira elementary, in Rio de Janeiro.

In this tragedy, people close and people far away are sorry and are united in pain with the parents of the 12 murdered children. We too, from the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil, are sorry and praying to God that He may comfort these families, wipe their tears and renew their hope in the resurrection.

The moment is of pain. Pain for the parents of Larissa, Bianca, Géssica, Karine, Marissa, Samira, Ana Carolina, Luiza Paula, Laryssa, Milena and Rafael.

Our prayer today is that "God, in all his kindness and mercy, comfort all these families in their pain, hold them together in His love so that they may be strengthened by his Grace. That they trust in His mercy and face the future days with courage and confidence in God's Grace."

With our sympathy and prayers,
Bishop Mauricio Andrade,
Primate of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil.

Anglican Communion News Service, London