~ by Rhina Guidos, Catholic News Service
The following are excerpts from an article that appears on the Catholic News Service website.
WASHINGTON (CNS) Lawmakers, including the vice-president, were rushed to safety after [an] angry mob broke into the [Capitol] building…breaking down doors and some asking the whereabouts of the vice-president, who was said to have defied President Trump by refusing to block Congress from certifying the results [of the presidential election].
Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement on the evening of January 6 saying he joined “people of good will in condemning the violence today at the United States Capitol.”
“This is not who we are as Americans,” he said, adding that he is praying for members of Congress, Capitol Hill staff members, police officers “and all those working to restore order and public safety.”
The Archbishop called the peaceful transition of power “one of the hallmarks of this great nation” and stressed that in this “troubling moment, we must recommit ourselves to the values and principles of our democracy and come together as one nation under God.”
From Dallas, Bishop Edward J. Burns, tweeted, “Let us pray that this one nation, under God, will always follow the paths of peace and justice.”
Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori released a statement saying, “We fervently pray for peace and for God’s protection over our country, our lawmakers and all those in harm’s way. May peace-loving Americans of good-will throughout the United States come together to engender peace, reconciliation and healing in our wounded and broken nation, which remains and must always be one, under God.”
In the hours after the initial chaos unfolded, the Biden transition team gathered religious leaders for around the country to pray for healing during a Zoom call. The prayers offered by leaders called for peace and justice and for a renewed strength in the midst of this dark time.