‘You will run again,’ Obama tells Boston at interfaith service

President Barack Obama said today that America stands with the city of Boston after the deadly terror bombing attacks at the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday. In a powerful, uplifting speech at an interfaith service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Obama said he had come to join people to “pray and mourn and measure our loss. We also come today to reaffirm that the spirit of this city is undaunted and the spirit of this country shall remain undimmed.” “I’m here today on behalf of the American people with a simple message: Every one of us has been touched by this attack on your beloved city. Every one of us stands with you,” he said. Three people died and more than 170 were injured when two blasts were detonated near the finish line at about 2:50 p.m. Monday. A massive investigation is underway, but no arrests have been made yet.Obama, who traveled to the city on Air Force One this morning with his wife, Michelle, and members of the state’s congressional delegation, promised that whoever planted the bombs would be brought to justice. “Yes, we will find you,” he said. “And, yes, you will face justice. We will find you. We will hold you accountable, but, more than that, our fidelity to our way of life, to a free and open society, will only grow stronger — for God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but one of power and love and self discipline.” He praised those who had rushed to aid the victims after the blasts, saying it sent a message to the attackers, whom he described as “these small stunted individuals who would destroy instead of build.” “This doesn’t stop us. And that’s what you’ve’ taught us, Boston. That’s what you’ve reminded us — to push, to not grow weary, to not get faint, even when it hurts. We finish the race. And we do that because of who we are and we do that because we know that somewhere around the bend, a stranger has a cup of water. Around the bend, somebody’s there to boost our spirits. On that toughest mile, just when we think we’ve hit a wall, someone will be there to cheer us on and pick up.” And he promised toward the end of the speech that the Boston Marathon would go on, as would the celebrations that have been held on the same streets for the city’s championship teams. “When the Sox, the Celtics, the Patriots, the Bruins are champions again – to the chagrin of New York and Chicago fans – the crowds will gather and watch a parade go down Boylston Street. And this time next year, on the third Monday in April, the world will return to this great American city to run harder than ever and to cheer even louder for the one hundred and eighteenth Boston marathon. Bet on it!’’ he thundered, receiving a standing ovation. Obama has spoken in the past to try to comfort communities in shock and mourning. He spoke after the mass murders at Fort Hood in 2009, Tucson in 2011, and Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., in 2012. Obama also planned to meet with victims of the blast and their families and first responders, a White House spokesman said on Air Force One this morning. Obama, who spoke for about 20 minutes to a packed crowd of about 2,000, was one of a series of speakers at the service, which lasted for an hour and a half. The other speakers included Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, clergy, and Governor Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas M. Menino. Menino pushed himself out of a wheelchair, grimacing at his broken leg, to talk about the strength of his beloved city. “I have never loved its people more than I do today,” Menino said this morning. “We are one Boston. Nothing can tear down the resilience of this city.” Patrick said the “cowardice unleashed on us” should not cause people to lose their faith in America’s civic ideals. “We have defined those ideals, through time and through struggle, as equality, opportunity, freedom and fair play. … And just as we cannot permit darkness and hate to triumph over our spiritual faith, so we must not permit darkness and hate to triumph over our civic faith. That cannot happen. And it will not.”