Moments Of Prayer

After days of heartbreak, people around the world in the shadow of terrorism went to church Sunday, seeking comfort in the prayers and hymns of worship.

They crowded into the American Church in London to think of home Sunday, reports CBS News Correspondent Sam Litzinger. They heard the minister ask them to try to forgive America's enemies - but he also said that doesn't mean justice shouldn't be served.

There were prayers for the victims of the attacks and expressions of thanks for those digging through the rubble in New York, hoping to find survivors. The service ended with a rendition of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" that had those in the congregation waving flags and weeping.

"A wind has come out of New York and Washington this week and has knocked us off our feet," said pastor Rick White, during services at The People's Church in Franklin, Tenn. "Life as we have known it has been changed, perhaps forever."

The Rev. Susan Gaumer of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in New Orleans told her congregation the attacks were carried out by fanatics who perverted the Muslim faith. Some Muslims around the country have been the target of revenge assaults since Tuesday's destruction.

"We, too, Christians and Jews, have our fanatics, and we have had for centuries," she said.

In Providence, R.I., retired Bishop George Pearce celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, urging parishioners to find mercy amid their anguish. Vengeance and hatred are never a fitting response to violence, he said.

"Our God is a God of mercy," he said. "Hatred begets anger and produces hatred. In Jerusalem, the city of peace, we see it now, as we do in Washington, in New York and outside Pittsburgh."

"May the leaders of the world not allow themselves to be dominated by hatred," Pearce said.

Ministers at the Parish of Trinity Church Wall Street were to hold services Sunday afternoon at a Roman Catholic shrine in Manhattan.

Their neo-Gothic historic church, dwarfed by skyscrapers in the financial districts, is now filled with ash and glass from damaged stained-glass windows.

"We will not allow Tuesday's attack to stop our congregation from gathering for Sunday worship," the congregation wrote on its Web site.

Congregation members attending the Latino service at Holy Cross Roman Catholic church, near Times Square, looked to their priest to help them make some sense of the atrocity.

They were told that even though God may have seemed silent on Tuesday, He was still there.

Many knelt in prayer before the service began — some choking back tears.

Pieces of red, white and blue wool were pinned on the lapels of people entering the church.

People from Lebanon to Australia also prayed at Sunday services.

Pope John Paul II said he was "heartbroken" and called for the Virgin Mary to bring comfort and hope to the victims' families. He urged restraint in efforts to find the terrorists.

Before the pontiff arrived i Frosinone, 50 miles southeast of Rome, a local choir sang "Blowin' in the Wind" and waved an American flag.

"To all the children of this great nation, I direct my heartbroken and shared thoughts," the pope said, to a round of applause from the crowd.

Nearly 5,100 people are now feared dead - lost under the rubble of the World Trade Center towers.

©MMI CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report