ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ CALLS ON FAITHFUL TO HONOR LIFE AND SACRIFICE OF GEORGE FLOYD BY REMOVING RACISM AND HATE FROM HEARTS IN WEEKLY COLUMN
June 3, 2020  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

In his weekly column to the faithful in Angelus (angelusnews.com), print and online magazine of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Archbishop José H. Gomez called on people of faith to honor the sacrifice of George Floyd’s life “by removing racism and hate from our hearts and renewing our commitment to fulfill our nation’s sacred promise — to be a beloved community of life, liberty, and equality for all.” The full text column is available at https://angelusnews.com/voices/george-floyd-and-us/ and in Spanish at https://angelusnews.com/archbishops-esp/george-floyd-y-nosotros/.

“The death of George Floyd last week was senseless and brutal and cries out to heaven for justice. The anger and unrest that has swept Los Angeles and the rest of the country since his death is a sad reminder that racism remains real,” began the Archbishop.

“It should not be this way in America. Racism is a blasphemy against God, who creates all men and women with equal dignity. It has no place in a civilized society and no place in a Christian heart,” wrote Archbishop Gomez. “When God looks at us, he sees beyond the color of our skin, or the countries where we come from, or the language that we speak. God sees only his children — beloved sons, beloved daughters.”

“Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said that riots are the language of the unheard. My prayer is that we are all doing a lot of listening right now. This time, we should not fail to hear what people are saying in their pain,” said the Archbishop.

“Sadly, in many places legitimate protests have been exploited by persons with different values and agendas. But burning and looting communities, ruining the livelihoods of our neighbors, does not advance the cause of racial equality and human dignity. In fact, violence and property damage only makes things worse for the poor and minorities living in urban neighborhoods,” he continued.

“So, we need to keep our protests peaceful and keep our eyes on the prize of true and lasting change.

“In these demonstrations, I have been encouraged to see so many young people expressing their desires to build a society that is more just and more fraternal, a society that expands opportunities for everyone, no matter what color their skin is or where they came from.

“To me, this is very hopeful because it opens a way for the Church to speak about the truths of the Gospel — the dignity of the human person and God’s vision for the meaning of our lives.”

“The peace that Jesus brings is not the false peace of those who accept injustice out of fear or in order to avoid trouble or confrontation. For Jesus, building peace is hard work, it takes patience and the grace of God,” wrote Archbishop Gomez

Archbishop Gomez concluded his message by offering prayers for the soul of George Floyd and his family. He asked the faithful to “entrust the troubles in our world and the troubles in our lives to Mary, who is the mother of God.”

Full text of the column is available at https://angelusnews.com/voices/george-floyd-and-us/.

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