German cardinal calls for unity after terror attack on Christmas market

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, President of COMECE and of the German Bishops' Conference, has expressed his compassion for the victims and appealed for unity after yesterday's act of violence against the Christmas market in Berlin last night.

German police are investigating the attack after a man ploughed a lorry into a Christmas market in the heart of Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48. The driver is believed to be a Pakistani asylum seeker, staying at a refugee shelter, who entered Germany last year. He was arrested and is being questioned. Police said he was known for record for minor crimes, but no terrorist links.

Cardinal Marx said: "The news from Berlin have deeply shocked me. The violence on the Christmas market is the opposite of what visitors were seeking. My compassion goes to the relatives of the dead and injured. For all of them I will pray.

In these difficult hours for the city of Berlin and for our country, it is important for us to hold together and stand united as society."