Madrid, Spain, Mar 15, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Hundreds of Spanish soldiers stationed in Iraq attended Mass Sunday and offered prayers for the victims of last week’s terrorist attacks in Madrid.
Fr. Ramón García Guardado, military chaplain for the Spanish contingent, presided at an outdoor Mass and called for “the defeat of terrorism” in his homily.
With the Spanish flag at half-mast, the soldiers stood in formation with their heads uncovered, in an atmosphere of reflection and prayer.
Fr. Garcia called for severe punishment against the perpetrators of the attacks, whom he called “terrorists and enemies of life.”
The Spanish contingent in Iraq boasts of more than 1,300 soldiers and is stationed the southern Shiite region.