Statement by the Most Revd  Dr Thabo Makgoba, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, following the Libyan Afriqiyah Airways plane crash on Wednesday 12 May 2010.

News of the horrific plane crash that took place in Tripoli this morning has come as a great shock to us all. My heart is more than sore at the thought that more than one hundred passengers and crew lost their lives.  I offer my own condolences, and those of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, to all those who are affected by this tragedy.  We hold them, and those who have been killed in this tragedy, in our prayers.  I am sure that our places of worship will be available to all those who have lost loved ones, whether for memorial services, or to receive the care and support of our clergy as they deal with their deep sense of loss and honestly face the depths of their grief.

We do not know the cause of the crash – and even if we did, it would not alter the way that our hearts weep within us. We call for the relevant aviation authorities to determine and declare the cause soon, so that others can learn from this tragedy.

We thank God for the sole survivor, an eight year old boy.  In his survival, we see that even in this dark cloud of death, there is this ray of hope.  More than this, in this season of Easter, I pray that the knowledge that Jesus Christ died and was raised to new life so that all who trust in him can share in this same life beyond death, may be a source of comfort, hope and strength, to all those affected by this disaster.

The Most Revd Dr Thabo Makgoba

Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town

May 12, 2010

Media Enquiries: 021 763 1320

Released from the office of the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town