“Our nation finds itself in an extraordinary hour of cultural conflict,” reads the statement from Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami and Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City.
The Archbishops, chairmen respectively of the USCCB’s Committee on Religious Liberty and Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, point to numerous acts of violence in recent weeks, including an attack in Florida when a driver rammed his car into a church and attempted to set the building on fire. Numerous statues of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin have also “been defaced or even beheaded” in recent weeks, the Bishops note.
The historic mission church of San Gabriel in Los Angeles was destroyed by fire earlier in July, and the cause is still unknown.
“Whether those who committed these acts were troubled individuals crying out for help or agents of hate seeking to intimidate, the attacks are signs of a society in need of healing,” the Archbishops say.
Acknowledging that the motives behind the incidents remain unclear, the Archbishops say they are praying for those responsible, adding “we remain vigilant against more of it.”
In their statement, the Archbishops insist, “the path forward must be through the compassion and understanding practiced and taught by Jesus and His Holy Mother.” They encourage contemplation of “images of these examples of God’s love” rather destruction of them.
“Following the example of Our Lord,” the two Archbishops say, “we respond to confusion with understanding and to hatred with love.”
Vatican News
Comment here