Baltimore faith leaders to hold prayer service for justice, healing June 3 at St. Vincent de Paul

Baltimore’s religious leaders will join civic and community leaders in praying for justice and healing in the city during a June 3 gathering beginning at 6 p.m. outside St. Vincent de Paul in Baltimore.

In a June 2 statement announcing the prayer event, Archbishop William E. Lori and Bishop Denis J. Madden joined 18 other faith leaders of many different religious traditions in condemning “unequivocally the tragic death of George Floyd, along with every unjust killing of an unarmed black man or woman at the hands of those entrusted with protecting us.”

“Every loss of life through an act of violence tears apart our bonds as a human family,” they said, “and strikes at the heart of the foundational principles that define who we are as communities of faith, and as a City, state and nation.”

The leaders said they “applaud and stand with all who are raising their voices in protest against this latest injustice, and the entrenched, systemic racism in our society that it reflects.”

They continued: “We most especially applaud all those on our streets and in our communities who are refusing to join individuals – often not from our own communities – who would cause the safety of our people, neighborhoods and institutions to be torn asunder by reckless violence.”

The leaders said they owe gratitude to law enforcement officials who “abide by their duty to carry out their responsibilities with compassion and justice, and who continue to risk their own lives to keep us safe.”

The prayer service will be livestreamed at 6 p.m. on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Facebook page here.

For more information and to read the complete statement and list of signatories, visit www.archbalt.org/pray-for-peace.

 

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