THE region turned to religion at the weekend in an effort to come to terms with the atrocities which hit the US last Tuesday.

Attendances increased at churches and cathedrals for services on both Saturday and Sunday, with ministers saying special prayers for bereaved people the world over.

The Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, was joined by the Bishop of Tennessee, the Right Reverend Bertram Herlong, for a service at York Cathedral on Saturday.

And when the Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Michael Turnbull, attended a service yesterday at Durham Cathedral to light a candle, a marked increase in the congregation was noted.

The service was the day's fourth at the cathedral, and head verger Jeffrey Hewitt said there had been noticeably more attending than normal.

Dr Hope described the atrocities as like something from a blockbuster movie - a sentiment echoed so often during the last week - and something many thought they would never witness in reality. "We could hardly believe what we were seeing before our very eyes," he said.