“We are speechless in the face of violence and brutality. There is no word for it,” Dirk Ciupek, a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses, said in his sermon. “It was not just an attack on a few of us, but an attack on all of us. »
Ciupek expressed his gratitude to the police who he said prevented more deaths and to the medical personnel who treated the injured with dedication and empathy.
“Don’t let evil defeat you,” he said, addressing family members of those who died. He spoke about each victim individually, including the unborn baby.
“We miss them, their love, their smiles, everything,” Ciupek said.
All the victims were German citizens with the exception of two injured women, one of Ugandan nationality and the other of Ukrainian nationality.
The shooter, identified by authorities only as Philipp F. due to German privacy laws, was a former member who left Jehovah’s Witnesses two years ago. Investigators said his departure was “apparently not on good terms”.
German prosecutors said they were investigating whether there was a religious motive for the crime, but there was no indication he was involved in a network or held far-right views.
The Hamburg congregation that held the service has about 60 members and is one of 47 in the port city, which is home to nearly 4,000 members of the denomination, according to Jehovah’s Witnesses.
About 3,300 people attended Saturday’s memorial service, which was held at a gymnasium in Hamburg, German news agency dpa reported. The event was also broadcast live for Jehovah’s Witnesses who could not be there in person.
Mark Sanderson, a member of the Board of Directors of Jehovah’s Witnesses, traveled to Hamburg from the United States and addressed the mourners.
“Our hope, our faith, our love can survive tragedy, they can overcome hatred and violence,” he said. “If we show our love to those around us, we reflect our faith in God. »
Jehovah’s Witnesses are part of an international church founded in the United States in the 19th century and headquartered in Warwick, New York. The church claims a worldwide membership of around 8.7 million, including around 170,000 in Germany.
Members are known for their evangelistic efforts that include knocking on doors and distributing literature in public squares. The denomination’s practices include refusing to bear arms, receive blood transfusions, salute a national flag, or participate in secular government.
