Pope Francis Wednesday called for peace and reconciliation among the people of the United States, following eight straight nights of wide-scale protess.
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“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,” Pope Francis said.
The Pope’s statement comes after eight nights of protests in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. .
“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,” the pontiff said.
His Holiness dedicated his entire English – spoken allocution to his audience in the U.S. calling for peace and reconciliation.
“Today, I join the church in St. Paul and Minneapolis and the entire United States in praying that 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.
Protests escalated to major violence and looting, despite Donald Trump’s order to deploy the National Guard. Furthermore, protesters gathered despite restrictive measures due to the virus and local curfews to restrain the sits-in.