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June 1, 2020

Springfield bishop issues statement on Floyd death, racial division

REGIONAL
Staff report

A demonstrator in Chicago holds an image in the likeness of George Floyd March 20, 2020. Demonstrations continue after a white police officer in Minneapolis was caught on a bystander’s video May 25 pressing his knee into the neck of George Floyd, an African American, who later died at a hospital. (CNS photo/Christopher Dilts, Sipa USA via Reuters)

 

SPRINGFIELD — Joining with religious and civic leaders from throughout the nation, Springfield Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski has issued a statement urging prayer and dialogue in response to the May 25 death George Floyd, an African American man who died while being restrained by a white police officer in Minneapolis.

Calling racial division “a nationwide crisis,” Bishop Rozanski urges people of faith to recognize the “sin” of racism and promote “a dialogue in which we listen attentively to hear and acknowledge the voices of those who deal with racial injustice in their daily lives.”

The complete text of the bishop’s statement follows:

“The tragic and unnecessary death of George Floyd, and the fallout from it, has once again served as a sad and painful reminder of the racial divide which still cuts across our nation. And while it may be easy for us to dismiss this as a problem found elsewhere, centered only in major urban areas, in fact, every one of us needs to confront the injustice that is the reality of life for people of color — for this is a nationwide crisis.

“At the same time, undertaking violent protests and targeting law enforcement personnel is not a solution. As a people of faith who believe firmly in the sanctity of life and that racism is a sin, let us pray for an end to this violence and the beginning of a meaningful effort to address the underlying currents of the racial divide found everywhere in our country, a dialogue in which we listen attentively to hear and acknowledge the voices of those who deal with racial injustice in their daily lives. Then work to achieve real change in our communities.”

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