Editor’s Note: On October 29, a man armed with a knife and carrying a copy of the Quran attacked worshippers in the Notre Dame Basilica and killing three and prompting the government to raise its security alert to the maximum level, hours before a nationwide coronavirus lockdown. The assailant was wounded by police and hospitalized in life-threatening condition after the attack.The imposing Basilica is located half a mile from the site where, in 2016, another attacker plowed a truck into a crowd on France's national day, killing dozens.
After the recent acts of horror, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in France confirms their condemnation of all forms of violence, including those performed under the pretext of religious intolerance or the imposition of a faith.
Pastor Ruben de Abreu, president of the Franco-Belgian Union (FBU) declared, “These recent manifestations of violence that undermine human dignity are to be condemned. I take this opportunity to express our solidarity and our prayers for the families and loved ones of the victims targeted by these appalling attacks.”
When asked about the place that violence occupies in current events, Ruben de Abreu continued: “This condemnation also applies to everything that unfortunately happens every day in other parts of the world. All forms of violence, whatever its nature, has no place in our society, and even less so in the religious world where tolerance, freedom of conscience, and peace must be promoted.”
The Seventh-day Adventist Church works tirelessly for the defense of the rights and freedoms of each individual and for the preservation of life, values, well-being, and security of citizens.