VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI in the United States of America - “God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world: peace in the hearts of all men and women and peace among the nations of the earth.”

New York (Agenzia Fides) - On the morning of April 20, the Holy Father Benedict XVI visited Ground Zero for a moment of prayer and recollection at the site of the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001. Gathered there was a representation of family members of the victims, emergency service workers, and firefighters. The Holy Father recited a prayer asking “God of love, compassion, and healing” to “give eternal light and peace to all who died here... victims of this tragedy simply because their work or service brought them here on September 11, 2001.”
The Pope prayed for the physical healing of those who “suffer from injuries and illness” and spiritual healing for the still-grieving families, saying, “give them strength to continue their lives with courage and hope.” The prayer also recalled all those who “suffered death, injury, and loss on the same day at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.”
“God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world,” Benedict XVI prayed, “Turn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred... Grant that those whose lives were spared may live so that the lives lost here may not have been lost in vain. Comfort and console us, strengthen us in hope, and give us the wisdom and courage to work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love reign among nations and in the hearts of all.” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 22/4/2008; righe 18, parole 235)