ROME — Pope Francis called Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez Wednesday to “express his prayers and closeness to the Church and people of the United States in this moment of unrest,” the archdiocese reported.
Archbishop Gomez, who is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), sent a memo out to all the American bishops to inform them of the phone call, noting that the pope had promised his prayers for the bishops, while thanking them “for the pastoral tone of the Church’s response to the demonstrations across the country in our statements and actions since the death of George Floyd.”
“On behalf of the conference, I expressed our gratitude for his concern for the people of the United States,” the archbishop said in the message.
The pope reached out to Americans at the end of his weekly general audience in the Vatican Wednesday, offering his prayers and support during this time of turmoil.
“I have witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest in your nation in these past days, following the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd,” Francis said.
“My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life,” the pontiff continued. “At the same time, we have to recognize that the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost.”
“Today I join the Church in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and in the entire United States, in praying for the repose of the soul of George Floyd and of all those others who have lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism,” he said. “Let us pray for the consolation of their grieving families and friends and let us implore the national reconciliation and peace for which we yearn.”
In his phone call to Archbishop Gomez, Francis said that he was praying in particular for “the local church in Minneapolis-St. Paul” and for Archbishop Bernard Hebda, the bishop in charge of that archdiocese.
“I told him that the bishops were united in praying for him and I thanked him for his prayers and strong words of support at the conclusion of this morning’s General Audience,” Gomez said.
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