Open Letter to the Ecumenical Patriarch

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba today sent the following letter to His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (who is resident in Istanbul, formerly Constantinople), expressing his deep sadness and condolences to the people of Turkey following Sunday’s earthquake.

Your All Holiness

I am deeply shocked and saddened to learn of tragic deaths of hundreds of people and of the many more people injured or missing after the earthquake which hit eastern Turkey on Sunday 23 October.

On behalf of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, please accept our message of condolences and comfort to families, friends and relatives of the deceased, of those still missing and of those who were injured. We wish to assure you and them of our prayerful support during this time of mourning. We also pray for all those who are assisting in the search and rescue operations and in aiding those who have lost their homes.

It is an event such as this one that remind us of the fragility of creation, and of our responsibility to be faithful stewards of our planet and all who call it home. We hope that such faithful stewardship will lessen the tragedies over which we can have some effect, such as global warming. As we prepare to host COP 17 in South Africa, we pray that world leaders will take bold and honest decisions for the good of all.

God bless.

Yours in the service of Christ

++Thabo Cape Town

Issued by the Office of the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town. Inquiries: Ms Wendy Tokata on 021-763-1320 (office hours)