Easter message

I read with interest the Easter message in Saturday’s Weekend Herald (April 23) from 26 leaders of Auckland churches.

In the opening sentences, they express their condemnation of the Christchurch massacre, and their horror that such an atrocity could occur in New Zealand. The article goes on to expound their beliefs about Jesus and extols the life he lived and the values he preached. The article concludes with the message that “love overcomes hatred”.

Since the Christchurch massacre we have witnessed an outpouring of such compassion and love towards the victims of that terrible day from New Zealanders of all persuasions, young and old, religious and nonreligious, Maori and Pakeha, longterm citizens and recent arrivals.

And a week after the massacre we listened, and were overcome by the words of forgiveness and reconciliation that came from leaders of the Muslim community, including those who were victims of the tragedy. They showed us “love overcoming hatred”.

But our church leaders, in Saturday’s article. offered no such words of sympathy, no expressions of condolence to the victims of the massacre, no reaching out to them in the hope that this event will draw us together. All the words they wrote were empty and meaningless without the words that cried out to be uttered when such an opportunity was given them by the Herald.

Laurie Wesley, Birkenhead