The terrorists who bombed Brussels have shaken the foundations of the Belgian society, but people must remain calm and refrain from violence to avenge the victims, said Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and the Primate of Belgium Jozef De Kesel in an interview with POLITICO on Easter Sunday.
“What happened in Brussels, the attacks, were criminal acts,” De Kesel said at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula. “They attacked the foundation of our society, a modern society.”
“Violence will not stop violence,” the Belgian archbishop said. “We are all victims, that is why we must all be in solidarity.”
He added: “Even the Muslim community is a victim of these attacks.”
Kesel’s own congregation had been affected by the bombings, in which 31 people have been killed and hundreds have been injured. One of the priests from the cathedral was on the train at Maalbeek when a suicide bomber detonated explosives on it on Tuesday, De Kesel said, adding that the priest survived the attack.
“Our societies have become very fragile,” De Kesel said. “Anything can happen, anything, anytime, to anyone. To you, to me.”
Despite this week being Easter Week in a Catholic country, worshipers stayed away from churches since Tuesday, fearing that terrorists could again target places where large crowds gather. A service was planned at the Cathedral on Tuesday, the day of the bombings. Up to 1,000 people were expected to attend, De Kesel said. It was canceled.
“People are frightened,” De Kesel said.
Quentin Ariès contributed to this report.
This story has been updated to correct the title of the Belgian Archbishop.