CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Following Wednesday's crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, both religious and political leaders from around the world are offering up prayers, and searching for answers about the tragedy.<\/p>\n\t\u201cOur entire Church prays for the eternal repose of the souls of the innocently killed,\u201d Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the Ukrainian Archeparchy of Kyiv-Halyc said in a July 18 statement.<\/p>\n
\tThe head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church stated that the \u201ctragedy has revealed that evil\u2026 is a real threat to peace and security of the whole world,\u201d and prayed for peace and consolation both for \u201cUkraine and for the entire world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWe remain united in our prayers with the families of the deceased and with all those suffering due to this tragedy,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n
\tOn July 17, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over Ukraine near the Russian-Ukrainian border. The have been no signs of survivors of the flight, which was carrying 298 people, among the wreckage.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tAn estimated 100 victims were HIV\/AIDS delegates, including prominent AIDS researcher Joep Lange, on their way to a conference in Melbourne, Australia.<\/p>\n
\tAlso among the dead was Sister Philomene Tiernan, an Australian member of the Religious Sisters of the Sacred Heart and a teacher at Kincoppal-Rose Bay Catholic School.<\/p>\n
\tThe plane was flying over Ukraine's Donetsk region when it was shot down, and crashed. The region is home to the pro-Russian separatist organization the Donetsk People's Republic, which is rebelling against the Ukrainian government and army in the wake of earlier unrest in the region.<\/p>\n
\tUkrainian president Petro Poroshenko called the crash an act of \u201cterrorism\u201d and pledged that those responsible for the attack \u201cwill be held responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tThe Ukrainian government also released a statement saying that the plane was shut down by Soviet-era \u201cRussian air defence systems\u201d used by pro-Russian separatists. Ukrainian intelligence also have intercepted a phone call allegedly between a separatist leader and a Russian security officer, though the veracity of the call has not yet been verified.<\/p>\n
\tRussian president Vladimir Putin offered his \u201ccondolences to the bereaved families\u201d and the home countries of the victims of what he called a \u201cterrible tragedy,\u201d but blamed Ukraine for the event, saying the country \u201cover whose territory it happened is responsible\u201d.<\/p>\n
\tHe acknowledged that \u201crenewed hostilities in the south-east of Ukraine\u201d were responsible for the event, and that \u201cthis tragedy would not have happened if there was peace on this earth.\u201d Putin stated that the Russian government would support investigations into the crash.<\/p>\n
\tU.S. vice president Joe Biden said in a July 17 statement that the crash was \u201cnot an accident,\u201d as the plane was \u201cblown out of the sky\u201d by a surface-to-air missile, according to U.S. intelligence, though officials have yet to conclusively identify the source.<\/p>\n
\tU.S president Barack Obama echoed Biden's observations, saying their \"thoughts and prayers are with all of the families of the passengers, wherever they may call home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tOn July 18, during a news conference on the topic, the president added that the crash is a \u201cwake-up call for Europe,\u201d saying that \u201coutrageous event underscores it's time for peace and security to be restored in Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tMalaysian transport minister Liow Tiong Lai called the attack an \u201coutrage against human decency.\u201d Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak pledged that a Malaysian disaster assistance team would be dispatched to the area and that \u201cno stone will be left unturned\u201d in bringing those responsible to justice.<\/p>\n
\t\"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of those on board the flight,\u201d Razak concluded. \u201cI cannot imagine what they must be going through at this painful time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tKing Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands commented that he was \u201cdeeply saddened by this horrible news\u201d and that his country\u2019s \u201cthoughts go to the families, friends and colleagues of the victims.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tBishop Jozef Point of Haarlem-Amsterdam expressed the diocese\u2019s prayers and condolences to the families of the victims, and invited \u201call believers to pray for the victims and their families,\u201d particularly at a Mass Sunday at the Cathedral to be held in honor of the victims.<\/p>\n
\tCardinal Willem Eijk of Utrecht also assured families that his archdioceses was praying \u201cfor the repose of the people involved in this tragedy,\u201d saying that for loved ones of the deceased \u201ca time of great uncertainty and mourning has come.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tBishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas tweeted July 18 asking his followers to \u201cPlease keep in your prayers those affected by the tragedy of the Malaysia Airlines plane disaster. Have mercy on them, Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tThe Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur expressed their sorrow over the crash in a blog post asking mourners to turn to God rather than revenge, anger, or blame.<\/p>\n
\tThe diocese prayed that those responsible may gain a \u201cprofound understanding for the evil of their actions,\u201d and seek forgiveness from God, that God may give the families of victims \u201cconsolation in their mourning,\u201d and that the victims themselves may find eternal rest and peace in God.<\/p>\n
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Washington D.C., Jul 18, 2014 \/ 01:14 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Following Wednesday's crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, both religious and political leaders from around the world are offering up prayers, and searching for answers about the tragedy…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\n
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