Upon receiving the tragic news of the Oct. 27 shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pa., Bishop Salvatore R. Matano asked all parishes and faith communities of the Diocese of Rochester to pray for healing at weekend Masses on Oct. 27 and 28.
“We continue our prayers for our Jewish sisters and brothers,” Bishop Matano said in a statement.
The bishop noted that “in response to this tragedy, His Eminence, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, stated, ‘Violence as a response to political, racial, or religious differences must be confronted with all possible effort. God asks nothing less of us. He begs us back to our common humanity as His sons and daughters.’ Pope Francis reminded us: ‘We are all hurt by this inhumane act of violence. May the Lord help us extinguish hate, promote respect for life, moral and civic values.’”
“We also pray for a conversion of heart in our society, so we regain peace and unity in our midst. We ask the Lord to guide all leaders in seeking solutions to protect the rights of all people to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Bishop Matano added.
Tags: Bishop Salvatore R. Matano, Gun Violence, Interfaith Relations
