State Funeral Service for the Victims of 3-11 Madrid Train Bombings Held

By Pauline J. Chang

The relatives of the 3-11 Madrid bombing victims gathered with international leaders to commemorate their beloved through a full Roman Catholic funeral, Wednesday, March 24, 2004, at the Alumdena Cathodral in Madrid.

Others in attendance included the Queen Sophia and King Juan Carlos of Spain, the outgoing Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and the incoming Prime Minister Jose Rodriguez Zapatero. High profile international leaders, including the Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, French President Jacques Chirac and Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco, also joined the chorus of mourners.

"Great is the pain that has overwhelmed your lives and those of your families since that black day in which brutal terrorist violence...cut down the lives of your most loved ones," said Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, Madrid's archbishop.

He also prayed for "the violent and the terrorists", urging them to "never again attack the lives of anyone".

The Madrid bombing took the lives of 190 victims and wounded more than 1,900.

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