In the wake of an early-morning massacre of 12 people at an
Aurora, Colorado movie theater, Archbishop Samuel Aquila and Auxiliary Bishop
James Conley of Denver have released a
joint statement.
An excerpt:
In the chaos of the moment, people
poured from the movie theater into the darkness of the night—the darkness of
confusion, of ambiguity, of despair. We stand in solidarity with our
brothers and sisters cast into that darkness. They do not stand
alone. As Catholic bishops, we “weep with those who weep.”
But
in Aurora, which means “the dawn,” the sun rose this morning. In a city
whose name evokes the light, people of hope know that the darkness may be
overcome.
For
those who were killed, our hope is the tender mercy of our God. “Neither
death nor life,” reflected St. Paul, “can separate us from the love of
God.” We commend their souls, and their families and friends, to God’s
enduring love.
For
those who were wounded—physically, emotionally and spiritually, our hope is in
their recovery and renewal. To them we offer our prayers, our ears to
listen, and our hearts to love. The road to recovery may be long, but in
hope we are granted the gift of new life.
We
hope also for the perpetrator of this terrible crime, and we pray for his
conversion. Evil ruled his heart last night. Only Jesus Christ can
overcome the darkness of such evil.
We
hope that all of us may find the peace which surpasses understanding.
Read
the full statement here.
UPDATE: Archbishop Aquila will celebrate Mass this evening for all those impacted by the shooting at Our Lady of Peace Parish in Aurora. Details here.