As unrest, violence, and polarization continue to weigh heavily on the United States, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging Catholics to respond not with despair, but with prayer, mercy, and fidelity to the Gospel.
According to Vatican News, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley has called on the faithful to dedicate time for a Holy Hour for peace and renewal, emphasizing that even small acts of faithfulness have lasting spiritual impact. “Your faithfulness matters. Your prayers matter. Your acts of love and works of justice matter,” the archbishop said in his message.
The call comes amid what Archbishop Coakley described as a “current climate of fear and polarization,” a situation he warned cannot be healed through anger or indifference. While acknowledging that many Americans may feel powerless in the face of injustice and violence, he pointed instead to the enduring value of Christian witness rooted in mercy.
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According to the archbishop, God sees every effort to live out the Gospel, whether through feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, or caring for the sick. He stressed that “no act of mercy, justice and love” goes unnoticed, regardless of its size or visibility.
Addressing recent protests and unrest across the country, Archbishop Coakley affirmed the importance of peaceful action, noting that “works of mercy, peacefully assembling, and caring for those in your community are signs of hope, and they build peace more surely than anger or despair ever could.” At the same time, he underscored the need for laws to be respected.
The USCCB president also reflected on recent deaths connected to immigration enforcement, calling them “tragic examples of the violence that represent failures in our society to respect the dignity of every human life.” He said such losses must be mourned and the injustice they reveal must be confronted, adding that a culture rooted in fear and polarization “does not meet the standard set by Christ in the Gospel.”
As a concrete step toward healing, Archbishop Coakley invited bishops and priests across the country to host a Holy Hour for Peace in the coming days. The intention, he said, is to pray “for reconciliation where there is division, for justice where fundamental rights are violated, and for consolation for those overwhelmed by fear or loss.”
This invitation extends beyond clergy to all Catholics, whether gathered in parishes and chapels or praying quietly on their own. According to Archbishop Coakley, the Holy Hour is meant to foster “renewal for our hearts and for our nation.”
He concluded by encouraging the faithful to place their fears and hopes in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, asking Him to make them instruments of peace and witnesses “to the inherent dignity of every person.”
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