[Magdalen] Fwd: Virginia Bishops on Charlottesville: What We Saw, What You Can Do

[Grace Cangialosi]

I didn't know about the Washington march for clergy; I might go up for that.

> On Aug 15, 2017, at 7:43 PM, Ann Markle <ann.markle at aya.yale.edu> wrote:
> 
> Thanks for this, Grace. My stomach hurts from the president's comments at
> his "infrastructure " press conference today. Al Sharpton is organizing a
> march specifically for clergy in Washington on the anniversary of MLK's I
> have a dream speech. It's in 2 weeks. I'm thinking of coming for that. I'm
> hoping one of the churches, maybe St. Columba's, could help me out with
> lodging. I need to do something. I heard someone after the election say
> it's like the nation is careening down the highway with a drunk driver at
> the wheel. I feel that more than ever, these last couple of weeks.
> 
>> On Mon, Aug 14, 2017 at 8:12 PM Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> This came from our bishops today--I think it's very good.
>> 
>> Begin forwarded message:
>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> A Statement from the Bishops of Virginia about the Charlottesville
>> Tragedy
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Saturday our hearts were broken.  An angry group of neo-Nazi and
>> fascist protesters came into Charlottesville, Virginia, armed and armored,
>> looking for trouble.  The violence and loss of life suffered in their wake
>> signaled yet another escalation of the hate-filled divisions of our time.
>> The peace of a beautiful university town was shattered.  The images that
>> some had of America were broken.
>>> 
>>> The echoes of the heartbreaking tragedy that was Charlottesville will
>> remain with us for a long time to come.  We have every indication that we
>> will be seeing more of this.  Angry white supremacists seem already to be
>> organizing to bring their ugly and racist rhetoric to other towns and
>> cities across our Commonwealth and across the United States.  Angry
>> resisters are more than ready to meet their violence with violence.
>>> 
>>> It's hard to imagine a time when the Church is more needed in the public
>> square.  It's hard to imagine a time when our need would be greater for God
>> to take our broken hearts and break them open for wise, loving and faithful
>> witness in Christ's name.
>>> 
>>> As followers of Jesus Christ, we are admonished to heed God's call to
>> love our neighbors through prayer, through speaking out and through other
>> concrete action for the sake of all, particularly the poor, the oppressed,
>> the judged, the demonized.  That witness was on display Saturday in
>> Charlottesville in the peaceful march by hundreds of clergy leaders from
>> Charlottesville, from our Diocese, and from other religious traditions in
>> Virginia and beyond.  Such witness must continue.
>>> 
>>> There will be more rallies and more divisions. We must be prepared to
>> meet those challenges, not with violent confrontation, but by exemplifying
>> the power of love made known in concrete action.
>>> 
>>> As your bishops, we commit ourselves to action of the kinds we list
>> below.  We invite you to join us and to share your actions with us so that
>> we can grow together in wisdom, faithfulness and love.
>>> 
>>> Whatever we do we may not, we must not, be quiet in the face of evil
>> during this violent era of our lives together.
>>> 
>>> Faithfully yours,
>>> 
>>> The Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston
>>> The Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff
>>> The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Concrete actions in the face of white supremacists and others whose
>> message is counter to Christ's embracing love.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 1. Be clear about the issues.  Make distinctions of the following kinds:
>>> All individuals and groups in this country have a right to free speech.
>> All have a right to their convictions and to speak those convictions
>> publicly.  Individuals and groups do not have a right to assault, attack or
>> cause violence against anyone else based on their views - or for any reason.
>>> The issue of removing Confederate monuments is a complex one with a
>> number of legitimate points of view. Reasoned discussion and
>> decision-making processes are called for.  Using these points of view to
>> justify violence is wrong and cannot be tolerated under any circumstances.
>>> Many Americans lovingly cling to their heritage, which provides them
>> with pride and identity.  Some suggest that the white people who gathered
>> to protest in Charlottesville were there to proclaim and protect Southern
>> heritage.  However, Nazi and fascist flags, symbols, salutes, slogans and
>> uniforms are not and never have been part of the heritage and history of
>> the American South.  We as a nation suffered over a million American
>> casualties in order to defeat the Nazi regime.  We have been clear as a
>> nation that the Nazi worldview is evil, and we must remain clear.
>>> As Americans and as the Church, we believe that inclusion of all persons
>> in our common life is central to our identity.  We seek to welcome and
>> include all people.  We understand that there is a wide range of legitimate
>> perspectives on the issues that are most important to us.  We do not,
>> however, welcome, include or legitimize all behaviors and all words. Some
>> words and actions are simply not acceptable.  We need to keep making
>> distinctions about what behaviors and actions we will not tolerate.
>>> 2. Write to your representatives in the Virginia General Assembly:
>>> Urging them to enact legislation to track hate crimes in the
>> Commonwealth.  As it stands now, we do not have the tools we need as
>> citizens to track what seems to be an escalation of violent acts and
>> therefore to respond appropriately.
>>> Urging the Legislature to form a task group, in the language of the
>> Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, "to propose how Virginia can
>> create an environment that welcomes and offers opportunity to all people of
>> color, Muslims, immigrants, women, LGB and poor white men."
>>> 3. Create conversation groups in which you can get to know people from
>> different backgrounds or with different political perspectives from your
>> own.  Talk to one another.  Listen deeply to one another.  We as a society
>> have forgotten how to talk and listen openly.  We in the Church can help
>> rediscover the skills.
>>> 
>>> 4. Pray.
>>> For the civic and religious leaders of Charlottesville, for all citizens
>> of Charlottesville, for all the people who live and work in the
>> Charlottesville area.
>>> For those who died in Charlottesville on Saturday:  Heather Heyer, Lt.
>> H. Jay Cullen, Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates, and for their families.
>>> For all who were injured in violence in Charlottesville on Saturday.
>>> For those with whom we disagree.
>>> For peace in our nation and in the world.
>>> 5. Pray alone and in groups.  Join in the prayers of those who pray from
>> different traditions or styles from your own.  Hearing the prayers of
>> others can expand and deepen our own praying.
>>> 
>>> 6. Do a moral inventory of yourself.  How do you feel about free
>> speech?  Are there limits?  If so, where do they lie?  What is not
>> acceptable?  What resonance do you have with exclusionary rhetoric either
>> on the right or on the left?  As Jesus said, take the log out of your own
>> eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's
>> eye.
>>> 
>>> 7. White people, speak out against white supremacy.  It is we white
>> people who must speak to white supremacists to make clear that we do not
>> agree with them, that they do not speak for the "white race."  Our silence
>> will be heard as complicity.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> The Diocese of Virginia, 110 West Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23220
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>> 
> -- 
> Ann
> 
> The Rev. Ann Markle
> Buffalo, NY