The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,
Father Forgive.
The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own,
Father Forgive.
The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,
Father Forgive.
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,
Father Forgive.
Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee,
Father Forgive.
The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children,
Father Forgive.
The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God,
Father Forgive.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
(following the bombing of the medieval Coventry Cathedral in 1940, Provost Howard had the words "Father Forgive" inscribed on the wall behind the altar of the ruins. These words are used as the response in the Coventry Litany of Reconciliation, which is prayed in the new cathedral every weekday at noon and in the ruins on Fridays)
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