ADDRESS ON THE OCCASION OF THE ANNIVERSARY
OF THE SEPTEMBER 11 TERRORIST ATTACKS

Ambassador R. James Nicholson

Santa Susanna Church
Rome, September 11, 2002

Your Excellency, Archbishop Foley, thank you for your inspirational words this evening and for celebrating this Mass of remembrance in honor of the victims of September 11. Father Robichaud, thank you for welcoming us here, all of us: the American community, the Holy See, the diplomatic corps, and the Italian people.

We come together tonight to honor the memory of the victims of the most devastating act of terrorism the world has ever known. The attack took from us over 3000 souls, from over 90 countries, from many faiths, many races and ethnic groups. They were young and old, firemen, bankers, waiters, policemen, military officers – from all walks of life. They began their day one year ago – a clear and bright late summer day -- with the hopes and expectations we all share of looking forward to seeing family and friends, doing our jobs well, and helping others. But their hopes were left to others; their expectations dashed by the senseless cruelty of evil men.

Their stories are many, of innocents slaughtered, heroes born. Prize-winning sixth-graders on a school trip to California, combat veterans working in the Pentagon to champion retiree rights, a Morgan Stanley security officer, also a Vietnam veteran, who saved all but six of 2,700 colleagues, and was last seen plunging back into the burning Tower Two to save others minutes before its collapse, and scores of New York City firemen and policemen rushing into the face of danger, laying down their lives for others.

The loss of these, our brothers and sisters, has caused great grief for us that they left behind, especially their loved ones – sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, husbands and wives. America has grieved as a nation, united in compassion and reaching out in kindness to our fallen compatriots and families from throughout the world.

Pope John Paul II understood unhesitatingly that this attack was not just an attack against the United States, but an attack against the civilized world. When I met with him two days after September 11, he was profoundly troubled by this action and moved to great sorrow for the victims. He told me that he had been pondering what had happened, and praying about it, and concluded that this was not just an attack on the United States, but against all mankind.

In reaching this conclusion, the Holy Father recognized that this attack sought to weaken our spirits, to weaken the will of those who seek to live in freedom and to disrupt our peace and tranquility. Instead, in our shared sorrow, we have found new strength and unity as Americans, and as citizens of the civilized world who value human liberty and peace.

It is fitting that we celebrate this service of remembrance here at Santa Susanna, which stands on the site where Santa Susanna was martyred for her fidelity to her beliefs. Ultimately, her faith secured victory over those who opposed it with violence and death. We shall do likewise.

The faith of the American people has been our strength this past year as we have struggled to overcome this tragedy and secure our victory over those who would use violence and death to undermine our faith in our freedoms and try to sow fear and hatred.

President Bush recognized the importance of faith when he gathered the nation together for a national day of prayer and remembrance three days after September 11. Coming before God to pray for the missing, the dead and their loved ones, in a unity of faiths and backgrounds, America began to heal its wounds and overcome its grief.

The President recognized that we would not recover by seeking vengeance, but instead called Americans to a unity of faith. This response to the evil of September 11 offers an example to the world of how prayer, justice and reconciliation can conquer anger and revenge. Observing that "grief, tragedy, and hatred are only for a time," the President reminded Americans that "goodness, remembrance, and love have no end."

Proceeding from prayer and a spirit of reconciliation, the President was determined not to allow our effort to root out these enemies of freedom to be seen as a new religious conflict. The perpetrators must be forced out and stopped he said, but not as vigilantes. To that end, the national day of prayer embraced Christian, Muslim, and Jewish representatives. The president also visited the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C. in the early days after September 11 to reach out to the Islamic community in the United States and abroad, and send a clear message to the American people that we must continue to treat all others with the tolerance and respect that has characterized our nation from its creation. He recognized that it is not enough to overcome the terrorist evil, but that we also needed to sow seeds of reconciliation.

The Pope also recognized the importance of pursuing justice within a framework of reconciliation. During my presentation of credentials on September 13, he expressed to me his hope that this terrible event would awaken in the hearts of all "a firm resolve . . . to combat everything that sows hatred and division within the human family, and to work for the dawn of a new era of international cooperation inspired by the highest ideals of solidarity, justice, and peace."

This has been the approach we have pursued as a nation in responding to September 11th, and is the reason why today the Afghan people have new hope, why governments throughout the world have awakened to the dangers of terrorists in their midst and taken the strongest action ever to defeat what the Pope termed this "unspeakable horror." In striving today for lawful change against chaotic violence, for human choice against coercion and cruelty, and for the dignity and goodness of every life, we are seeking to build the conditions that can make lasting peace possible.

In our determination to secure justice in the face of evil, we have been greatly blessed by the sustained commitment and extraordinary contributions of the world community. The President told the American people in his first formal address after September 11 that what was at stake was not only American freedom, but the freedom of "all who believe in progress and pluralism, tolerance and freedom." And the forces of freedom have proven to be strong. In fact, six months after September 11, representatives of 174 countries gathered on the White House lawn both to remember the victims, as we do today, but also to reaffirm the united resolve of mankind to defeat this scourge. Every member of this "mighty coalition of civilized nations" – as President Bush described it -- has contributed to building a more peaceful world, sharing in responsibilities and sacrifices, providing military forces, law enforcement cooperation, and humanitarian assistance to avert starvation and rebuild institutions.

The United States is deeply grateful for this tremendous outpouring of support for this common cause, which remains indispensable to the ability of the international community to overcome violence and evil. As President Bush told the coalition members, "every civilized nation has a part in this struggle, because every civilized nation has a stake in its outcome. There can be no peace in a world where differences and grievances become an excuse to target the innocent for murder."

As people of faith, of whatever religious tradition, we need to continue to work hard to overcome fragmentation and promote mutual understanding. All too often, religion has been co-opted by narrow nationalistic interests and used to justify tragic conflicts. At the Day of Prayer for Peace in the World in Assisi called by the Holy Father last January 24, the Pope made clear that "all religious people and communities should in the clearest and most radical way repudiate violence, all violence, starting with violence that seeks to clothe itself in religion, appealing even to the most Holy name of God in order to offend man." There is, the Pope emphasized, "no religious goal which can possibly justify the use of violence by man against man." Such a use of religion contradicts religion’s deepest and truest inspiration – which is best captured in the greatest commandment: to love God and each other. It is no accident that almost all world religions share this admonition of loving and respecting others as a central tenet of faith.

Many times in the gospel, Jesus told his followers: "Be not afraid." In this world where the face of evil has been seared on our hearts and minds by the barbarous acts of September 11, and by almost daily acts of terror in the Middle East, it would be easy to resign ourselves to fear – fear for ourselves and loved ones and fear of others, of those who are different from us. In the face of these fears, faith offers us a path to hope. Faith that right will ultimately prevail.

The American spirit is a spirit of optimism, rooted in the belief of the first settlers that they could create in the new world a shining beacon of faith to the world they had left. Today, one year after September 11, we approach the world with renewed optimism that last year’s anguish has strengthened our commitment to build a world of peace, a peace rooted in justice and reconciliation. We want to continue to work closely with our friends and allies to promote respect among all peoples. We defeated fascism, nazism and communism, by working together. We will do the same with terrorism.

But, at the same time, this victory will require more than defeating an elusive enemy by force. When facing hatred, the Pope reminds us that "we must depart from the heart" in order to eradicate feelings of hatred and transform them into "a spirit of fraternity and openness toward others, building on what unifies us, not what divides us." Without justice, there can be no true peace; without reconciliation and forgiveness, we cannot heal our wounds or restore damaged human relations.

As righteous people, if we are to reach our destination on the path of peace, we need to proceed with humility and courage. So let us then go forth tonight as strong, but humble pilgrims for peace, with renewed courage to build a world where fear and resentment are overcome by mutual respect, prayer, and love. There can be no better way to honor the victims of September 11.

Thank you and God Bless.