Congregations of Women Religious React to Assault on U.S. Capitol: ‘Shameful Moment in History’
~ by Dan Stockman, Global Sisters Report
Sisters across the nation responded to the January 6th attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, calling for prayers, peace and, in some cases, new leadership.
[As was reported in last week’s Update, the Missionary Sisters joined with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in saying that “The LCWR joins with the world in praying for peace after witnessing the violence and lawlessness in our nation’s capital. We commend and thank the members of Congress who courageously continued their service to the nation even amid the chaos.”]
The Adrian Dominicans
“Today, with heavy hearts we depart from our accustomed role of issue advocacy to take the unprecedented step of adding our voice, as religious leaders, to those of others in the civic life of our nation who call for the immediate removal of the sitting President of the United States,” they wrote in a January 8th statement. “The President who incited this insurrection much be held accountable for his seditious acts.” The declaration came after an earlier statement calling for prayer.
Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, Kentucky
“Our nation is divided. We commit ourselves to pray for peace and healing for our country and to work for the common good. President Abraham Lincoln, who led our country through the most divided period of [our]history, said, ‘We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Let us all appeal to our better angels as we strive to form a more perfect union, together.”
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
“We, the Leadership Council of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Monroe, Michigan, were stunned and heartbroken at the insurrection that took place at the United States Capitol. What unfolded at the Capitol is the direct result of unchecked hyper-partisan hostility fomented by false claims of wide-spread voter fraud perpetuated by President Trump and enabled for too long by members of his own party. While we must begin the difficult work of healing the deep wounds of our nation, we cannot do so unless our nation’s leaders lead by example and publicly acknowledge the legitimacy of this election…and urge their supporters to do the same.”
U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph
“We are deeply concerned about the state of our country and the future of our democracy. Our hearts ached as we watched white nationalists participate in these despicable actions that threaten not only to destroy our government but to rend the bonds that unite us. We commend and thank the members of Congress and staff who courageously continued their service to the nation amid the chaos as well as the law enforcement who helped protect and secure the building.
We cannot ignore the juxtaposition of the law enforcement response to the violence at the Capitol versus the violence inflicted on the Black Lives Matter protestors in June. We invite all people of good will to reflect on the next steps we must take to repair our democracy, eliminate white privilege and contribute to the work of building a more perfect union.”
Sisters of Providence of St. Mary-of-the-Woods
The congregation in Terre Haute, Indiana, issued a joint statement with the InterFaith Council of the Wabash Valley:
“We of diverse religious faiths and humanitarian belief systems join with…so many others in our country in condemning Wednesday’s display of hate and violence against people and property as well as our democratic institutions and processes. We hope and pray that our country will return to a politics guided by wisdom, facts and truths…”
Network:
“The Constitution protects our rights and dignity as humans created in the image of God. We have a Constitutional remedy that holds unfit Presidents accountable. The Catholic advocates of Network call on Vice President Pence and the Cabinet to do their faithful duty to the nation and invoke the 25th Amendment now.”
Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dubuque, Iowa
“Let us pray to God that we will resolve our nation’s differences using peaceful means and not fighting one another.”
To read the complete article along with the statements from each of the religious congregations in their entirety click here