WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Here is a statement from Washington Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory\u00a0regarding the planned visit today from the president at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine:<\/p>\n
\u201cI find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to\u00a0be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious\u00a0principles, which call us to defend the rights of all people even those with whom\u00a0we might disagree. Saint Pope John Paul II was an ardent defender of the rights\u00a0and dignity of human beings. His legacy bears vivid witness to that truth. He\u00a0certainly would not condone the use of tear gas and other deterrents to silence,\u00a0scatter or intimidate them for a photo opportunity in front of a place of worship\u00a0and peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Saint John Paul II Shrine is owned and operated by the Knights of Columbus, therefore outside the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Washington.<\/p>\n
It was eerie yesterday to hear the president speak at the White House while in the background, one could hear the peaceful crowd being scattered by force so the president could later walk to Saint John Episcopal Church, Bible in hand, without the knowledge of the local Episcopal bishop.<\/p>\n
Violent riots should be stopped by police.\u00a0 Peaceful protesters should be allowed to protest.<\/p>\n
Many post on social media pictures of Martin Luther King Jr. protesting peacefully, but ignore the fact that these peaceful protests were met by brutal violence from law enforcement and others.\u00a0 Just remember the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, and so many other moments during the Civil Rights Movement when peaceful protests ended deadly not due to the protesters, but due to the other party.<\/p>\n
The Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, strongly argues that\u00a0the racially biased narratives that allowed slavery to flourish for centuries have continued and evolved, manifesting themselves in different ways after the legal abolishing of slavery. \u00a0Racial segregation and the use of lynching as a means to terrorize and oppress African Americans were the legacy of slavery in the 20th<\/sup>\u00a0century.\u00a0 After the accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, the disproportionate marginalization and mistreatment of people of color is the legacy of slavery today.\u00a0 Changes in legislation do not have the ability to change hearts.<\/p>\n A very deep wound still exists in our society.\u00a0 We still have a long way to go.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Here is a statement from Washington Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory\u00a0regarding the planned visit today from the president at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine: \u201cI find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to\u00a0be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious\u00a0principles, which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":5383,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[205],"tags":[30,1345,668,883],"class_list":["post-5381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","tag-catholic","tag-race","tag-violence","tag-wilton-gregory"],"yoast_head":"\n