SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller is calling for peace in our nation following the rioting by violent demonstrators at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to obstruct the certification of the Electoral College votes of the November 2020 election in which President-elect Joe Biden won with 306 electoral votes.
“I am saddened by the shocking events this afternoon, which are a wound on the soul of our country. Many people are suffering due to this troubling attack on the Capitol. We have seen too much violence in the United States recently – political violence, racial violence -- and even the violence caused by the COVID-19 virus, which attacks the body,” Garcia-Siller said in a written statement.
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Garcia-Siller said the United States is a country of law and order and emphasized that “order” includes protests, which he said must be lawful, orderly and respectful of law enforcement.
“What we need at this point is peace; to think and have concern for the other. These are dire times. Providentially, Pope Francis has called for a ‘culture of care’ in his 2021 World Day of Peace message,” Garcia-Siller continued in his statement.
The archbishop says he’s praying our nation can find peace.
“I pray that we find peace and reconciliation in our nation in the coming days, weeks, and months ahead. May Mary, our mother and the mother of God, unite our country and bring all her children together,” Garcia-Siller said.
The archbishop will hold a small prayer service at 1 p.m. Thursday at San Fernando Cathedral to pray for peace.
