Mozart’s Requiem was performed by choirs in more than 125 countries
On Friday, imams in 40 mosques in Berlin devoted their prayers and sermons to denouncing terrorism and praying for peace
Condoleezza Rice visited Canada and thanked the Canadians who housed some of the 21,000 passengers who were stranded there after 9/11
John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia, attended a ceremony at the US Embassy in Canberra. He called 9/11 “an attack on the values that the entire world holds in common”
A memorial service was held outside the US Embassy in Tokyo. Junichiro Koizumi, the Prime Minister of Japan, said that terrorism remained as big a threat as ever
Advertisement
At the Asia-Europe meeting in Helsinki, a minute’s silence was observed by the leaders of 38 countries. President Chirac of France said that it was one of the most solemn he had experienced. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, made a veiled attack on the US, saying: “The ends cannot justify the means”
While celebrating Mass in Bavaria, Pope Benedict XVI said: “Five years after the attacks on New York, we pray for the victims, and for peace”
Pawel Zalewski, head of the parliamentary foreign relations committee in Poland, attacked the US in a newspaper article. “Right after September 11 the world was united with Americans. Their moral leadership was unquestioned . . . However, this strong moral authority was abused as a result of the Iraq war”
In Rome, Walter Veltroni, the mayor, said: “9/11 will be in our memory for ever”
In the southern Philippines, where US-backed troops are battling militants linked to al-Qaeda, US and Filipino soldiers held a ceremony
Advertisement
President Karzai of Afghanistan expressed his appreciation to the US for the “sacrifices of your sons and daughters”
In Indonesia, 100 Muslim students held prayers of peace, saying no religion justified such violence