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

[Grace Cangialosi]

That's great!!

> On Aug 15, 2017, at 8:59 PM, Ginga Wilder <gingawilder at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Not clergy and not VA, but just today a young man who leaves for college in
> a few weeks got permission from our new priest in charge to host a
> fundraiser at Good Shepherd.  The spontaneity of youth...they will sell
> baked goods, sing solos and duets, read poetry, and whatever turns up.
> Contributions and money raised will be given to the Charleston NAACP and
> The Jewish Federation of Charleston.  Definitely cobbled together at the
> last minute, but they are getting lots of response on FB.
> 
> John and I will be there.
> Ginga
> 
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>> On Tue, 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
>>