A Norwegian Tragedy

Of course, you've all heard about last Friday's (22 July 2011) bomb blast in Oslo and the horrible shooting of so many young people at a youth camp not far away. The tragedy has been a great shock to Norway, a country with such a small population, social equality, and commitment to peace.  The picture above is from Asgardstrand on Saturday.  All through the small town, flags were at half-mast.

This morning we drove to Oslo for our last couple of days before returning home.  We were able to check in early and then left the hotel to walk around the city.  Just about three blocks from us is the Oslo Cathedral (the Domkirke) where we discovered a large crowd of people gathered to hear the memorial service going on at that moment.  People were also lined up to place flowers on the cobblestones in front of the church.  We joined a groupd next to a police cordon, surprisingly near the front of the church door.  At first, I didn't think it was possible that all the leaders would exit from the church at that door.  It was so public and explosed although there were many armed police, soldiers, and plain-clothed security looking very much like our own Secret Service. 



 The crowd was somber and quiet with low voices.  The only bright sound was the chattering of small children, too young to understand what had happened.

 

As the organ played inside, the members of the clergy came out the front door and arrayed themselves on either side.  The Secret Service came to attention, and a couple came out, greeted the clergy, observed the flower memorial, and waited quietly for their car.  I was only about two people from the line, so I could see quite clearly.  I wasn't sure who the couple were, so I whispered,"Is that the king? Is that the king?"  Two women on either side of me answered that it was, and then they began to idenitfy everybody as they came out according to rank in the government--the prime minister and all the other ministers and members of parliament.  We were so close--only about 50 yards away.  I said to the two women beside me that I was so astonished that we could be so close.  One of them said to me, "That's because it's Norway.  I hope it doesn't change."  I hope so, too.

 

We moved away and walked down Karl Johan's Gata, a main pedestrian street that leads to the Parliament buildings and to the Royal Castle--all just a few blocks away.  As we walked, we could see a group of members of Parliament being interviewed on the street by a television crew.  One of them, we had been told as she came out of the church, may be the next prime minister.  We've been reading about how open and safe Norway is--that the prime minister walks to work, stopping to talk to people in the street.  I'm sure the reason these MPs were walking to Parliament after the service was to make the point that nothing has changed, that Norway won't be changed, by this experience.

After a short tour of the city center and finding some lunch, we went back to Domkirke so we could go inside.  There were still many people outside, still people lined up to lay flowers. As we walked into the church, we were met by heat and what I thought at first was incense. But as we progressed through the church, we could see in various locations circular areas of lighted candles hanging low within reach.  From those candles, people were lighting others, arranging them on the floor beneath.  Many people were just sitting quietly in the pews; the organ was playing.  As we headed out the side door, there was an area where people were writing notes and leaving them near the candles.  A very sad time.

The rest of the city was very quiet with pretty heavy rain beginning about mid-afternoon.  Everybody hopes for a better day tomorrow.

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