{"id":22088,"date":"2017-09-19T22:55:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-19T22:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/st-louis-archbishop-leads-prayer-for-peace-after-violent-protests-50581\/"},"modified":"2017-09-19T22:55:00","modified_gmt":"2017-09-19T22:55:00","slug":"st-louis-archbishop-leads-prayer-for-peace-after-violent-protests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/09\/st-louis-archbishop-leads-prayer-for-peace-after-violent-protests\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Louis archbishop leads prayer for peace after violent protests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

St. Louis, Mo., Sep 19, 2017 \/ 04:55 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- The Archbishop of St. Louis led an interfaith group of religious leaders in prayer for peace and justice on Tuesday, after protests over the weekend turned violent.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is in this humble spirit of peace that we gather together as one human family this afternoon to both pray and reflect. Each one of us brings a heavy heart, but also a faith-filled heart,\u201d Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis said at the Ecumenical Prayer Service for Peace in downtown St. Louis.<\/p>\n

Archbishop Carlson led the prayer service after several days of protests took place in the city over the acquittal of a former police officer in a 2011 shooting.<\/p>\n

St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Timothy Wilson on Friday acquitted former officer Jason Stockley of first-degree murder charges, stemming from a 2011 shooting of 24 year-old Anthony Lamar Smith after a car chase.<\/p>\n

According to a court document reported by the Washington Post, the district attorney charged that Stockley was heard threatening to kill Smith during the car chase, and, once he drove into Smith\u2019s car, got out and shot five times into the car, killing him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Court, in conscience, cannot say that the State has proven every element of murder beyond a reasonable doubt, or that the State has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defense,\u201d Judge Wilson said, reported by CNN.<\/p>\n

After Friday\u2019s ruling, Archbishop Carlson called for prayer and forgiveness, and exhorted members of the community not to react with violence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must ask God for peace in our own hearts and share it with those around us,\u201d he said. \u201cViolence does not lead to peace and justice \u2013 they are opposing forces and cannot coexist. I implore each of you to choose peace!\u201d<\/p>\n

Protests of the ruling began on Friday evening, and also occurred on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Protests on Saturday and Sunday reportedly began peacefully, but turned violent after dark when buildings were damaged and police officers were assaulted. Reports claimed that a small contingent of the protesters were violent.<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s police department reported making 123 arrests on Sunday, after orders to disperse were ignored by some individuals who blocked street intersections.<\/p>\n

At Tuesday\u2019s interfaith prayer service, Archbishop Carlson thanked those in attendance for showing a \u201csign of your commitment to peace,\u201d and thanked other religious leaders present for their \u201cleadership\u201d and \u201cmoral witness.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to St. Paul, \u201cwe are one in the Lord,\u201d the archbishop said, exhorting the audience to remember their \u201ctruest identity as children of God, capable of bringing God\u2019s peace to every corner where division and violence would seek the upper hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that \u201cpeace is not an unrealistic dream that would blind us to the sin and brokenness of humanity,\u201d but rather that peace and justice go together.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne cannot cry for peace and ignore justice, and vice versa,\u201d he said. \u201cWe do not demand justice without peace in our hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other religious leaders from Christian denominations, as well as a Jewish rabbi and an imam, cited long-standing issues in the city of \u201cendemic racism,\u201d poverty, gun violence, and inequality of education, as well as the history of slavery in the area in the 1800s.<\/p>\n

Fr. Ronald Mercier, SJ, Provincial superior of the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province, also cited the need to address the roots of injustice.<\/p>\n

To \u201cseek only an end to violence without addressing its roots\u201d would be \u201cdangerous,\u201d he said. \u201cThe fruit of injustice is violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor too many people,\u201d he said, \u201cjustice is an unfulfilled reality.\u201d He noted that \u201cthe sin of racism\u201d present in the area \u201cdeprives all of us of an inability to feel at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, we need to pray today for the gift of peace,\u201d he said, \u201ca peace that God wants to give us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

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St. Louis, Mo., Sep 19, 2017 \/ 04:55 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- The Archbishop of St. Louis led an interfaith group of religious leaders in prayer for peace and justice on Tuesday, after protests over the weekend turned violent.<\/p>\n

“It is in this humble …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nSt. Louis archbishop leads prayer for peace after violent protests<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"St. Louis, Mo., Sep 19, 2017 \/ 04:55 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- The Archbishop of St. Louis led an interfaith group of religious leaders in prayer for peace and justice on Tuesday, after protests over the weekend turned violent. “It is in this humble ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/09\/st-louis-archbishop-leads-prayer-for-peace-after-violent-protests\/\" 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