As a nationwide protest in the United States stirred by the death of George Floyd by a police officer entered its 8th day, Pope Francis characterized the death of Floyd as “tragic”.
The pope also denounced racism as a sin, saying that he is praying for Floyd and all other victims of racism.
He referred to Floyd by his name during his weekly prayer that is held at the Vatican. Experts explained that it is quite rare of the pope to mention a specific name, and thus said this statement from Francis carries a special weight with it.
The pope went on to say that it is not possible for Christians to turn a blind eye to racism as all Christians should fight to protect the sanctity of human life regardless of any factor including race.
At the same time, he commented on the violent nature that a few of the protests have turned into. Saying that much is lost and little is gained through violence, Francis said that the violence that has been on display is destructive and against the message that the protestors want to send.
Saying that he joins the prayers around the world, including the Catholic church in Minneapolis where the incident happened, the pope said his prayers extend to the families who have suffered from racism as well as to peace and harmony in the US and elsewhere.
In his remarks to the English speaking audience, Pope Francis quoted and referred to Archbishop Jose Gomez. As the leading Catholic bishop in the US, Gomez has recently spoke out about the death of Floyd.
In his statement, the Archbishop laments the fact that the calls for help and change are muted while the lives are taken away from the African American population. Moreover, he cited the words of Martin Luther King Jr., who said that “riots are the language of the unheard”.
Gomez agreed with the revered civil rights leader’s words, and said that now is a time for America to listen to what the usually unheard population has to say.
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Replaced!