Report from Istanbul

Fr. Franz Kangler, CM provides a first hand account of the attacks in Istanbul.Thank you for your prayers.

We are still shocked by the two terroristic attacks. The bombing of the Neve Shalom Synagogue last Saturday was in our direct vicinity, many wounded were brought to the hospital of the sisters. Some of our teachers had just passed the site two minutes before the explosion, as they were coming to St. George`s that Saturday for preparing advent reeds.

Next day we found out that one of the killed victims in the synagogue was the father of one of our Jewish students. I changed the readings of the Sunday liturgy into a service about our long history of strained relations with the Jewish community, reminding all of us, that out of the three great Jewish refugee communities of 1492 the one in Saloniki was not nihilated by intolerant Turks or Muslims, but by Germans and Austrians during World War 2. On Tuesday I attended the funeral on the Jewish cemetery. Schoolwise we had no problem on that first day, as there is no school on Saturdays.

On Thursdays, when we thought that we slowly were going back to normal life, the new explosions took place. The attack on the British consulate was again not too far away. The explosion was enormous, we all heard it, and then we were quite busy in avoiding a panic reaction of our students. We organized extra home-trips for kids without organized buses, answered all the phones of shocked parents etc.

Different radio and TV stations from Austria called and asked for more information, but all that first excitement is now over. As there are Islamic holidays next week we get some time for everyone to calm down (God willing).

The sisters` hospital was not so much needed, as there were others more conveniently situated, but of course some victims were brought in again, one of them, a security guard at the consulate, was dying.

In the evening we had a very muted Eucharist, keeping in mind how little we can plan for our own lives and for those of all the people around and with us.

This evening we had a beautifully organized fast-breaking meal with our workers and their families and now I will go back to my sermon for tomorrow about Christ the King.

On Monday I will be in Trier again for the preparation of our next MEGVIS-meeting at Easter.

Best greetings

Franz