Bulletin Announcement       Sunday     August 28, 2016             

               FranciscansForJustice.org
 
 
The leaders of U.S. Catholic men's religious orders (including Franciscans) gathered for their national assembly August 2-5.... They issued this media release: 'In our gathering of prayer and reflection, we sensed the deep pain and division again in our nation, as well as elsewhere.... We are called to love as Jesus loved and to honor those who love in this way: compassionate, empathetic, reconciling, love of friends and perceived enemies, using nonviolent resistance against injustice and violence. 

'Thus, we are inspired to boldly call for a shift from the response of paranoia, i.e. "small picture," fear, tribalism, and destruction, to that of metanoia, i.e. "big picture," ongoing conversion, seeing the image of God in all people. The responses of paranoia have been clearly manifested recently in different forms of violence. For instance, examples of direct violence include the killings in Orlando at an LGBTQ club, the killing of black men, the killing of police, killing of priests, and the ongoing bombing and killing in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Nigeria. Examples of cultural violence include the discrimination and rhetoric of de-humanization towards immigrants, refugees, LGBTQ persons, Muslims and politicians. Examples of structural violence include laws or policies that increasingly restrict immigration and the welcoming refugees, mass incarceration of people of color, militarization of our border, and investing in ongoing war.

'...In sum, we commit ourselves, and call on other Catholics and all people to 1) take time to weep and feel the pain of these tragedies, 2) take time for silence, deep breathing, and prayer, 3) take time to create dialogue spaces for truth and reconciliation, 4) take time to get training in nonviolent conflict transformation skills, and 5) take time to advocate local, state and federal governments to change the policies of structural violence.'  [www.CMSM.org]


 



                                 
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