THE nation should “practise living in hope”, the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Sarah Mullally, has said on the 20th anniversary of the London terrorist attacks that killed 52 people and injured hundreds more.
On 7 July 2005, three homemade bombs exploded in quick succession on the London Underground: near Aldgate Station, between King’s Cross and Russell Square, and at Edgware Road. Later, a fourth bomb was detonated on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square.
To commemorate the anniversary on Monday morning, the Prime Minister and the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, laid wreaths at the 7 July Memorial in Hyde Park, before attending a service at St Paul’s Cathedral.
The service, which began with the tolling of the bells, was attended by both survivors and the families of the victims, alongside politicians and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. Representatives of the Salvation Army, London Ambulance Service, Metropolitan Police, and London Underground lined the steps of St Paul’s as guests for the ticket-only event arrived.
The Dean of St Paul’s, the Very Revd Andrew Tremlett, began the service with a prayer for the survivors and those who lost their lives. He also thanked those who responded to the attacks with “courage and compassion”.
“We ask God to shed his light of mercy upon us, for times when fear has bred suspicion, when we have turned inward rather than outward, and when we have allowed difference to divide rather than to enrich society,” he said.
“We pray, too, for those who wish us harm, and for those who inflict harm on others by devising acts of violence and terror; that God’s unfailing grace would convert their hearts and direct them to new paths of peace.”
Sir Sadiq read a Bible passage, and, as music filled the cathedral, four candles bearing the names of the locations of the bomb attacks were processed down the central aisle and placed on stands in front of the choir. Four people delivered reflections on each location, with music interspersed throughout. One of these was the Revd Julie Nicholson, whose daughter Jenny, 24, was killed in the Edgware Road bomb.
White petals floated down from the Whispering Gallery as the names of the victims were read out with emotion, reflecting the weight of the moment.
In her sermon, Bishop Mullally spoke about the prophet Isaiah and of hope, referring to the musician Nick Cave’s words: “Hope is optimism with a broken heart.”
She also referred to Dr Eve Poole’s recent Church Times article on hope (Analysis, 20 June), describing hope as a “strategy”, “posture”, and “orientation”.
Bishop Mullally concluded: “My prayer for us all is that we practise living in hope, that we learn to love the future, to strive for reconciliation and peace, and that, as our wings strengthen, we may know that underneath us all and those that we love is life and eternity, and there are the everlasting arms of God, who brings hope.”
A group of faith leaders, together, pledged to foster “mutual trust between communities to flourish” before the final hymn “God is love, let heaven adore him” was sung.
Before the service, Sir Keir said: “We honour the courage shown that day — the bravery of the emergency services, the strength of survivors, and the unity of Londoners in the face of terror. Those who tried to divide us failed.”