Cardinal Vincent Nichols has urged Londoners to use their anger as a “force for good” in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.
The cardinal was speaking at a Mass for all those affected at St Pius X church in North Kensington, located less than a mile away. He told those gathered: “Anger is energy. And the energy has to be directed in the right way. Anger can be a force for good or it can be a force that separates us and divides us. Some people want to see that.
“But we must be so clear that the anger becomes a source of determination, that we hold together [and] slowly build a society [where there is] deep respect for each other and each other’s beliefs.”
Police said on Monday that at least 79 people were thought to have died in the fire last week.
Protesters stormed the offices of Kensington and Chelsea borough council amid accusations that the council had ignored safety warnings. Hundreds of demonstrators also marched on Whitehall.
Cardinal Nichols told Sky News: “I can understand how people are angry. I think we should find out what happens through an inquiry, They are there to bring forward facts in a cool and clear way.”
Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Westminster and Catholic parishes near to the tower were heavily involved in helping victims in the days after the disaster. John Paul Morrison, director of education for Westminster, said the archdiocese was offering counselling to pupils to help them to deal with the trauma.
“What they have witnessed was incredibly shocking,” said Mr Morrison.
“Television and media can only touch on it. The thing that really hit the students was the screaming,” he said. “I spoke to some people yesterday who were very upset by that – by hearing, ‘Help me, help me!’”
Mr Morrison said hundreds of other students and their families were evacuated from the vicinity of the 24-storey building because of the possibility that it might collapse and scatter debris over a half-mile radius.
All students of St Francis of Assisi Catholic primary school, which is close to the tower, had been relocated to Sion Manning Catholic girls’ school, which is outside the zone cordoned off by police.
“I think from an educational point of view, it is really important you get back to some form of consistency and normality as much as you can in a period of incredible anguish and tragedy,” said Mr Morrison.
He said teachers tried hard to provide students with a normal day in class, and schools across the archdiocese helped by delivering books and other materials needed at short notice.
Mr Morrison said he was “very proud” of the Church’s response “at every level.”
“It was good to see all elements of the Church’s mission come together to address what is an incredibly said but also an incredibly complex situation,” he added.
St Francis of Assisi Church in Notting Hill was one of two churches to serve as a collection point for members of the public who wished to contribute clothing, food and other supplies for families dislocated by the fire.
Fr Gerard Skinner, the parish priest, was so inundated with donations that within hours there was no storage space left.
In a message on his phone he told well-wishers that the church was “at capacity.” He said he was also overwhelmed by offers of practical assistance.
Doctors vote on abortion up to birth
Doctors are to vote on whether to call for abortion to be legal for any reason up to birth.
About 500 doctors attending the British Medical Association’s annual meeting will take part in the vote after a special debate session on Tuesday. The motion comes after MPs voted in favour of decriminalising abortion in a largely symbolic vote in March.
If the motion is passed the BMA will adopt the so-called “decriminalisation” of abortion as its official policy.
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