US Catholic bishops demand peace replace violence after protesters disrupt Capitol

Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest outside the US Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. Credit: Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images.

Washington D.C., Jan 6, 2021 / 05:57 pm (CNA).- Catholic bishops strongly condemned pro-Donald Trump protesters’ incursion that penetrated the Capitol Building Wednesday as Congress debated the certification of the presidential election results, leading to the evacuation of lawmakers and the deadly shooting of one protester by law enforcement.

“I join people of good will in condemning the violence today at the United States Capitol,” Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Jan. 6. “This is not who we are as Americans. I am praying for members of Congress and Capitol staff and for the police and all those working to restore order and public safety.”

“The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of this great nation,” he added. “In this troubling moment, we must recommit ourselves to the values and principles of our democracy and come together as one nation under God.”

In his own statement, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco added: “To attack the U.S. Capitol to express your fear that democracy has been denied is wrong, and also counterproductive. Doubts about free and fair elections cannot be redressed by violence against democratic institutions.”

“To the deaths from a pandemic, and destruction wreaked on people’s livelihoods, we do not need to add an attempted civil war. I called for an end to violence in the streets when it happened this summer. I call on every American of good will to denounce this violence against our nation’s Capitol now.”

“May the Prince of Peace put an end to this strife, and bring healing and constructive criticism in the place of mob rule. And may God bless America,” the archbishop said.

Gomez entrusted the country to the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking, “May she guide us in the ways of peace, and obtain for us wisdom and the grace of a true patriotism and love of country.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Twitter account said, “Lord God of peace, hear our prayer.”

It also broadcast a prayer from the National Shrine: “Let us pray for peace in our nation. Mary Immaculate, pray for us!”

Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore called the protests “shocking and unlawful.”

“We fervently pray for peace and for God’s protection over our country, our lawmakers, and all those in harm’s way this terrible day. May peace-loving Americans of good will throughout the United States come together to engender peace, reconciliation and healing in our wounded and broken nation, which remains and must always be one, under God.”

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn called for prayer for the nation “on this unprecedented day of national chaos, so that we can return to the rule of law.”

“We are better than this. We as a people have always respected our differences. The peaceful transfer of power is the hallmark of our democracy,” he said.

The protests seeking to overturn the presidential election results followed various claims that the presidential ballot results in some states were fraudulent. Some protesters appeared to think there was still a path for President Donald Trump to win the presidency, despite presumptive President-Elect Joe Biden’s decisive electoral college victory.

More than 150 Republican lawmakers sought to question the legitimacy of election results in some states, but Vice President Mike Pence, who can vote to break ties in the U.S. Senate, refused any suggestion that he act to block certification of the election.

Trump himself has stoked claims that the election was stolen and has not conceded, even in the same statements in which he has told protesters to go home. Twitter has started to remove some of his posts, and Facebook has removed some of his videos.

In a Wednesday morning appearance at a rally outside the White House, Trump encouraged supporters to march to the capitol. Some protesters clashed with police, while others intimidated capitol guards into retreating without significant contact.

Some wore “Make America Great” hats or other regalia associated with Trump’s campaign. Many carried U.S. flags or Donald Trump flags and some carried Confederate flags.
Some protesters attacked news media, while dozens of others pressed forward into the Capitol Building in defiance of capitol police, breaking windows and forcing open doors.

Lawmakers took shelter, sometimes in their offices, and put on gas masks after security used gas masks in their defense, the Associated Press said. Protesters occupied the office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the chambers of Congress.

Critics of the president, including some Republicans, blamed him for inciting the protesters.

At least one bomb was found at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee in D.C., at least one other device was discovered on the U.S. Capitol grounds, and a suspicious package at the Democratic National Committee headquarters was under investigation, the New York Times reported.

Pence called out the national guard to support law enforcement in the capital. After the capitol building was secured, Pelosi recalled lawmakers to certify the election results.

Another bishop who spoke out against the protests was Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport.
“There are few words that can describe the shock I feel to see our Capitol Building occupied by violent rioters. As Americans, we should be deeply disturbed to see an important symbol of freedom and liberty in our nation violated in such a way. Our nation is better than that,” he said on Twitter.

 

There are few words that can describe the shock I feel to see our Capitol Building occupied by violent rioters. As Americans, we should be deeply disturbed to see an important symbol of freedom and liberty in our nation violated in such a way. Our nation is better than that. 1/4

— Bishop Frank Caggiano (@BishopCaggiano) January 7, 2021

“The peaceful transfer of power is one of the most important and revered aspects of our democracy,” he continued. “We must recommit ourselves to the values we hold dear as Americans: democracy, freedom, and peace.”

“As people of faith, we condemn violence in all its forms as a moral betrayal of the Gospel,” he said. “We also know that our nation needs prayer, now more than ever, so that we may always remain one nation, under God.”

The bishop asked people to join in prayer for the U.S. “during this unprecedented and frightening time in our history.”

“Let us pray for peace in our communities, in our capital, in our Country, but most of all, in our own hearts,” he said.

Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler invoked the feast of the Epiphany, saying, “We pray for peace and for Christ to shine in this traditional feast of the Epiphany. It is a sad day for our nation but God is with us,” he said. “We have to turn to God and really remember that we claim to be a nation under God.”

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago called the event a “national disgrace”, adding, “We pray for peace at this bracing moment in U.S. history, a history that has been marked by one of democracy’s greatest virtues—the peaceful and orderly transition of power.”

The incident at the Capitol follows significant disruptions and unrest across the U.S. last year.

The death of George Floyd, a Black man, while he was being detained by Minneapolis police helped spark nationwide protests for weeks. Protesters often peacefully advocated against police brutality and for racial justice under the motto “Black Lives Matter.” Some of these protests turned violent, causing billions of dollars in damage and several deaths.


If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.


11 Comments

  1. What happened at the Capitol seems mild compared to the arson and mayhem of the “protests” last summer. I didn’t see anything burning in any of the coverage, nor did I hear the constant obscenity of those prior “peaceful protestors” that many, including CNA, continue to make excuses for, nor will the capitol be occupied for months by the lawless (unless one counts morally lawless legislators). The reaction to what happened yesterday seems over-wrought in comparison, not just to what happened last summer, but to more recent attacks upon federal buildings in Philadelphia and Portland by the left, and the repeated defacements of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Keep things in perspective.

    • Your response is disgusting. If you are a Catholic, it is even more deplorable. Today we should all be feeling sadness, not anger and self-righteousness.

      • “Keep things in perspective” and reminding everyone that there has been oodles and oodles of violent protests all over the place over the past year, much of which was approved of by the left and by the media, is “disgusting”? Its an interesting dictionary you work out of, Father. Not one word did I say approving of anything lawless that took place at the Capitol. I’d like to hear the bishops speak just as forcefully about every act of law-breaking.

      • Yes. Self-righteous indeed. Do tell us how we should all feel. Feelings….nothing more than feelings….I’m humming it in my head. I agree with Leslie, hypocrites and opportunists.

      • Respectfully Fr. Phillips, a plea to keep things in perspective is perfectly legitimate.
        Looking dispassionately & reasonably at all sides of the issues & weighing the outcomes is what fair minded people do. Fair minded Catholics also.

    • Yeah. I’m wondering what this “condemning the violence that threatens democracy” business is specifically referring to. The only people I saw with guns in photos were the suits inside the Capitol building and some type of police force outside the building. Were there “protestors” violently attacking people? And it is odd that the same hierarchy who was quick to defend the “peaceful protests” this summer are now calling for law and order???….but this summer we were told “law and order” was a racist ploy.

      • I wasn’t there but several law enforcement officers were injured during the protest and our local news reports this morning that an Capitol police officer has died.
        So yes,some people at the rally were violent but I believe there were those who came well prepared to create mayhem and violence. And that’s been the case with protests on the other side as well.
        Whenever you have thousands of people gathered in a protest it can be subverted for political opportunism and anarchy.

  2. “Protesters often peacefully advocated against police brutality and for racial justice under the motto “Black Lives Matter.” Some of these protests turned violent, causing billions of dollars in damage and several deaths.”

    “Some” of these protests? Massive numbers of them. Whoever wrote this has a really impressive gift of understatement.

    What I find interesting is that, for all the months of the Antifa and “Black Lives Matter” violence and destruction, we were told that it was quite understandable that people would be rioting, and it was all the fault of those against whom the riots were being held because they had no other way to express themselves.

    A quote:

    “The whole point of protesting is to make ppl uncomfortable.
    Activists take that discomfort w/ the status quo & advocate for concrete policy changes. Popular support often starts small & grows.
    To folks who complain protest demands make others uncomfortable… that’s the point.

    “The thing that critics of activists don’t get is that they tried playing the “polite language” policy game and all it did was make them easier to ignore.
    It wasn’t until they made folks uncomfortable that there was traction to do ANYTHING even if it wasn’t their full demands. ”

    That would be Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. So, having encouraged and supported the violent rioters of the past, what, six or eight months, she is now having fits about how eeeeeeevil the protesters at the Capitol were, and insisting that the president must be removed from office, or impeached, or anything else she can think of. And she is not the only one. Words ike “hypocrites” and “opportunists” come to mine.

  3. Is any of this really a surprise? For months and months we’ve been locked down, prevented from going to school or work, forced to wear masks, told not to celebrate major holidays with family and friends, and all summer long we watched as the BLM crowd mask-lessly had their way, taking over our cities, attacking our police, wrecking our (closed) businesses, and generally doing as they pleased, with nary a wrist slap from those who took an oath to uphold our constitutional freedoms…and now, the cry for law and order? Where is the social justice in that?

    • Christina,
      I was surprised but I guess I shouldn’t be. Everything is being utilized these days to manipulate opinions. The left is better skilled at it & have more resources but they have their blind spots as much as we do.
      The only ones who really benefit in the end from all this turmoil are the Chinese.

  4. What utter nonsense. The left-leaning USCCB only wants to further criticize Trump. The USCCB has -honestly- little credibility left. And they wonder why so many in the U.S. are ‘ex-Catholics’??? If the U.S. Catholic Church was a corporation, most of these ‘leaders’ would have been fired long ago.

Leave a Reply to Mark Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

All comments posted at Catholic World Report are moderated. While vigorous debate is welcome and encouraged, please note that in the interest of maintaining a civilized and helpful level of discussion, comments containing obscene language or personal attacks—or those that are deemed by the editors to be needlessly combative or inflammatory—will not be published. Thank you.


*