“Sunday morning’s attack in Orlando has unmasked once again the evil face of hatred and bigotry in our society. The evil that is present in these events demands nothing less from us.īridgeport, Conn.
As we discern our response to this attack as Catholics, let us resolve ourselves to be an unrelenting voice for peace and non-violence in every realm of our society. We believe in the dignity and worth of every human life and we decry every attack on that dignity that happens in acts of hatred and violence. Because of the circumstances of this attack, we also make clear our condemnation of discriminatory violence against those who are gay and lesbian, and we offer our prayers to that community. In that sense, we offer our prayers and our tears in solidarity with the victims of this attack, their loved ones, the Diocese of Orlando and the City, itself. For those of us in San Bernardino this is especially painful because we also experienced the trauma of an act of public violence in our community not so long ago, at the Inland Regional Center. We place our pain before God and we unite our suffering with the Lord Jesus who shed his blood for us on the cross. Please pray for the eternal rest of those who lost their lives in this tragedy and for the consolation and healing of their loved ones and also those injured in the attack. Barnesīrothers and Sisters in Christ, Today, we are reflecting with great sadness and despair on the tragic loss of life that occurred early Sunday morning in Orlando, Florida at the hands of a violent attacker. Let us also pray that we may recover our identity in the face of such violence that wants us to forget. Let us pray for the victims of this latest act of incomprehensible violence in Orlando on Sunday and for their families and friends who grieve their loss. In violence, we lose our identity as children of a loving, merciful God.
The 20th century novelist Mary McCarthy once reflected, “In violence, we forget who we are.” Those words are so true because violence turns human beings, created in God’s image, into something we were never intended to be. The answers do not come because the experience makes no sense.
Every fiber of our humanity strains to find some explanation, some reason for the violence and death that defy our understanding of human nature, so thoughtlessly and carelessly discarded by those who have no regard for human life. Events like Sunday’s carnage in Orlando leave us reeling, haunted by the questions “When will the violence and killing stop? Will we ever feel safe anywhere again?” What was once unimaginable has now become increasingly commonplace and all too real. It would be just a matter of time for us to join their mortally stricken ranks. We have become accustomed to such tragedies in other places in the world, Paris and Brussels and Tel Aviv among them in recent months. history that has left us all horrified and numb with grief. We awoke to the largest mass shooting in U.S. That all changed in the early hours of Sunday morning, June 12, 2016, when 49 people were brutally, senselessly murdered by a lone gunman and at least that many others were seriously wounded in Orlando. When Americans think of “Orlando, Florida,” their first thoughts are usually of Disney World - happy thoughts of a magic place where children of all ages escape from their ordinary, everyday lives to experience the fantasy and fun that only a place like it can offer. NCR will add to this list as other letters and statements become available.
#GAY BAR SHOOTING FLORDIA FULL#
Following are the full texts of statements of some of the U.S. bishops and archbishops have made statements expressing condolences to survivors and family members of victims of the June 12 shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla.