MOSCOW, July 15. /TASS/. Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has described the tragedy in Nice which killed more than 80 people, including a Russian citizen, as "an insane act of terror".
"A terrible terrorist attack, an insane act of terror occurred in Nice," the patriarch said ahead of a Holy Synod meeting in Moscow, adding that "all of us have to ponder over what is happening to the human civilization, the human race." A terrorist attack is a way of waging a war, the most terrible and inhumane one at that." He noted that "killing civilians has always been considered a crime, and here the murder of innocent people is the main method of waging a war."
"I am strongly convinced that a true answer to a question of what contemporary terrorism is like and what it means can only be given in the light of the religious understanding of the current state of modern humanity. I believe at some point we should move closer to a clear and genuine understanding of what contemporary terrorism means," the patriarch said.
A meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church chaired by Patriarch Kirill began with a moment of silence for the victims of the terrorist attack in Nice.
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There were thousands of people at the moment of the attack on Thursday evening on Nice’s Promenade des Anglais, who were leaving a festive firework display commemorating Bastille Day. A truck rammed into the crowd at full speed.
According to the latest reports, 84 people have been killed, while several dozen sustained injuries. The Russian Union of Travel Industry said a Russian woman was killed in the attack, while another Russian woman was wounded.