LOS ANGELES
— Decrying the acts of religious violence that have taken place during the
Christmas season, the president of the U.S. bishops declared: "Violence in
the name of God is blasphemy."
Archbishop Jose
H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chosen in November as president of the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops, said: "The rise of anti-Semitic violence in this
country and around the world must be condemned along with the ongoing
persecution of Christians. Protecting religious freedom and freedom of
conscience should be among the highest priorities of every government."
Archbishop
Gomez's remarks, in a Dec. 31 statement, were prepared with the Jan. 1
observance of the World Day of Peace in mind.
He cited three
incidents in particular: the Dec. 29 assault on worshippers in a Texas church
by a gunman, which left two congregants and the shooter dead; the Dec. 27 a
stabbing rampage during a Hanukkah celebration in a rabbi's home in New York;
and the Dec. 26 posting of a video by an Islamic State affiliate in Nigeria
that showed the beheading of 11 Christians.
"In our
neighborhoods and communities, violence and cruelty are a sad and ordinary
reality of daily life," Archbishop Gomez said. "Children in our
country are killed each day in the womb and many of our neighbors do not have
what they need to lead a dignified life. Our politics and cultural discourse
are often marked by anger and a merciless and unforgiving contempt for
others."
Despite the
Christmas celebration of the birth of Jesus as the Prince Peace, "our
world and our lives are far from peaceful," he added. "So many of our
brothers and sisters are living in countries torn by war and injustice,
terrorism and persecution; many suffer violence because of race, religion,
ideology or nationality. Many of our brothers and sisters, even children, are
being bought and sold and living in slavery; millions in our world have no
place to call home because of poverty and instability."
The archbishop
added: "Jesus Christ came as a child on Christmas to show us that every
person is a child of God, made in his image. He came to show us that all
humanity is one family, that we are all brothers and sisters no matter where we
are born, the color of our skin or the language that we speak."
He also noted
that on the World Day of Peace, the Catholic Church in the United States joins
Pope Francis and the church around the world in praying for peace. "We
pray for peace in our hearts and peace in our world. We pray for the conversion
of every heart that hates and we pray for the courage to overcome evil with
good and respond to hatred with love," he said.