The
events in the USA have provoked a predictable 'war' response.
Media headlines immediately proclaimed We are at War. In all
wars there have been the voices of peace, pacifism and conscientious
objection. Even now, at the risk of being condemned for being
unpatriotic, there are voices in the USA who are praying for
grace to prevail amidst the terror that has been unleashed.
Joan Chittister
OSB: As the West takes over more and more of the resources
of the world with small regard for social inequities that
raw capitalism leaves in its wake, we may all have to try
to understand again that it may be weakness, not strength,
that is our enemy. The only thing that can possibly resolve
global situations like this is a power based on respect
for the powerless before their powerlessness turns to rage.
As unpatriotic as it may seem to be in the initial moments
of such an event, we may have to learn that listening to
those to whom no one listens at all may be the only power
that is really effective. Shooting won’t be enough
to control people who have nothing to lose.
The Quakers USA: What happened in New York City and Washington DC this
week will reverberate through our lives for generations
to come. Let it be a learning experience to build a better
future. None of us is safe anywhere in a world that has
failed to expunge militarism, injustice, poverty and more.
Bishop Thomas Gumbleton
of Detroit: If the religious community of the United States can’t
come up with a different response than one of violence
and war, we’ve betrayed our whole religious tradition.
Pax Christi USA: As people of faith and disciples of the non-violent
Jesus, we must be willing, even now in this darkest moment,
to commit ourselves and urge our sisters and brothers,
to resist the impulse to vengeance. We must resist the
urge to demonize and dehumanize any ethnic group as "enemy".
The
events in the USA have provoked a predictable 'war' response.
Media headlines immediately proclaimed We are at War. In all
wars there have been the voices of peace, pacifism and conscientious
objection. Even now, at the risk of being condemned for being
unpatriotic, there are voices in the USA who are praying for
grace to prevail amidst the terror that has been unleashed.
