Resorting to violence to resolve our political differences has become a tragic method of replacing thoughtful, nonviolent political discourse. The incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, DC threatened the lives of people from all political affiliations who came to share a meal and celebrate the US Constitution’s right to freedom of the press, as well as those who were there to serve them.
There is no place in civil society, much less across the body of Christ, where acts of violent political protest are justified. The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas join people of all political beliefs who seek nonviolence in word and deed as the method for resolving our differences. At the same time, we continue to pray for all those injured or traumatized by gun violence.