IMAGE: CNS photo/Jim Bourg, Reuters
By Rhina Guidos
WASHINGTON (CNS) — In the aftermath of a chaos- and hate-filled
weekend in Virginia, Catholic bishops and groups throughout the nation called
for peace after three people died and several others were injured following clashes
between pacifists, protesters and white supremacists in Charlottesville,
Virginia, Aug. 11 and 12.
A 32-year-old paralegal, Heather D. Heyer, was killed when a
car plowed into a group in Charlottesville Aug. 12. Various news outlets
have identified the driver as James Alex Fields, who allegedly told his
mother he was attending a rally for President Donald Trump. Reports say the car
allegedly driven by Fields plowed into a crowd during a white nationalist rally
and a counter-rally the afternoon of Aug. 12.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said early Aug. 14 the “evil attack” meets the legal definition of domestic terrorism and suggested pending charges for Fields who was in custody and has been charged with second-degree murder, among other charges. He was being held without bail.
The bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, Virginia,
was one of the first to call for peace following the violence in Charlottesville
late Aug. 11, which only became worse the following day.
On the evening of Aug. 11, The Associated Press and other
news outlets reported a rally of hundreds of men and women, identified as white
nationalists, carrying lit torches on the campus of the University of Virginia.
Counter-protesters also were present
during the rally and clashes were reported. The following day, at least 20 were
injured and the mayor of Charlottesville confirmed Heyer’s death later that
afternoon via Twitter after the car allegedly driven by Fields rammed into the
crowd of marchers. Two Virginia State Police troopers also died when a helicopter they were in crashed while trying to help with the violent events on the ground.
“In the last 24 hours, hatred and violence have been on
display in the city of Charlottesville,” said Richmond Bishop Francis X.
DiLorenzo in a statement on the afternoon of Aug. 12. “I earnestly pray
for peace.”
Charlottesville is in Bishop DiLorenzo’s diocese.
Virginia’s governor declared a state of emergency Aug. 12
when violence erupted during the “Unite the Right” white nationalist
protest against the removal of a statue of a Confederate general, Gen. Robert E. Lee. But the
trouble already had started the night before with the lit torches and chants of
anti-Semitic slogans on the grounds of the University of Virginia.
Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president
of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called the events
“abhorrent acts of hatred” in an Aug. 12 statement. He said they were
an “attack on the unity of our nation.”
Other groups, including many faith groups, seeking to
counter the white nationalist events showed up during both events. Authorities
reported clashes at both instances.
“Only the light of Christ can quench the torches of
hatred and violence. Let us pray for peace,” said Bishop DiLorenzo in his
statement. “I pray that those men and women on both sides can talk and
seek solutions to their differences respectfully.”
On Twitter, Jesuit Father James Martin denounced racism as a
sin and said: “All Christians, all people of faith, should not only reject
it, not only oppose it, but fight against it.”
Other bishops quickly followed in denouncing the violence.
“May this shocking incident and display of evil ignite a
commitment among all people to end the racism, violence, bigotry and hatred
that we have seen too often in our nation and throughout the world,” said
Bishop Martin D. Holley of Memphis, Tennessee, in an Aug. 13
statement. “Let us pray for the repose of the souls of those who died
tragically, including the officers, and for physical and emotional healing for
all who were injured. May ours become a nation of peace, harmony and justice
for one and all.”
Chicago’s Cardinal Blase J. Cupich said Aug. 12 via Twitter: “When it comes to racism, there is only one side: to stand against it.”
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia called racism the “poison of the soul,” and said in a statement that it was the United
States’ “original sin” and one that “never fully healed.”
He added that, “blending it with the Nazi salute, the relic
of a regime that murdered millions, compounds the obscenity.”
On Aug. 13, Cardinal DiNardo, along with Bishop Frank J. Dewane
of Venice, Florida, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and
Human Development, issued a statement saying: “We stand against the evil of racism,
white supremacy and neo-Nazism. We stand with our sisters and brothers united
in the sacrifice of Jesus, by which love’s victory over every form of evil is
assured.”
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Follow Guidos on Twitter: @CNS_Rhina.
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