Faith leaders and a congregation made up of members of all the major religions in Bradford, gathered at Bradford Cathedral on Tuesday night (May 23) for an interfaith vigil for the victims of the Manchester Arena terror attack.
Politicians and civic leaders also attended the event - among them Bradford West MP, Naz Shah, the Deputy Lord Mayor of Bradford, Cllr Doreen Lee and Kersten England (Bradford Met CEO).
Muslim, Hindu and Sikh faith leaders together with Anglican and Roman Catholic clergy were among those who led prayers.
Two minutes silence was observed and the choir sang solemn music as members of the congregation came forward to light candles or queue to sign the Book of Condolence.
The vigil at Bradford took place at the same time as an open-air vigil in manchester's Albert Square and a vigil at Leeds Minster led by Bishop Nick Baines.. more here
Leading the Bradford service, the Bishop of Bradford, the Rt Revd Toby Howarth, said, “There is a lot that we don’t know yet, but we do know that at least 22 people lost their lives, 59 have been injured and man, many more have been affected and it will take years for those wounds to heal.
“Some of those caught up in the events were from West Yorkshire and some of those were from Bradford “, he added. “We know that a family from Queensbury, particularly, has been hit. One of our councillors – his wife and children, I think are still in hospital so our thoughts and prayers are very much with them.
“At the same time that we are in mourning and in shock, we ae also aware of some extraordinary stories, especially from the emergency services and from those in hospitals, taxi drivers and people in all walks of life – ordinary people who’ve done extraordinary things in looking after their neighbours, in looking after total strangers, bringing them into their homes, places of works or just offering a smile or a word of encouragement.”
Bishop Toby also said that it was appropriate to hold the vigil in Bradford Cathedral. “Bradford Cathedral is for all of our communities and we are here together as people from different backgrounds, different beliefs, no belief, people from the city and outside the city, people with all sorts of feelings that we hold together.”
(Right, as with many churches, the Union Flag above Bradford Cathedral flew at half-mast)
(Left, Queues formed to sign the Book of Condolence for the victims of the Manchester Terror attack)