CNA: Portland Archbishop Decries Violence, Calls for Peaceful Efforts Against Racism

CNA Staff, Jul 27, 2020 / 03:20 pm MT (CNA) – The archbishop of Portland, Oregon is urging Catholics to learn about and study how to respond to the sin of racism, while at the same time condemning the violence accompanying many of the protests in the city for the past two months.

“This all began over the terrible, tragic killing of a man, and initially the outcry against injustice, against racism, was well-placed, and I have been very supportive of the peaceful demonstrations on behalf of justice and against racism,” Archbishop Alexander Sample said in a July 24 video message, referencing the protests sparked by the May 25 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

“But sadly, that’s not what this is about any more,” he said.

Portland has now surpassed 60 straight days of street protests, often taking the form of crowds of hundreds of people protesting, ostensibly, against racism, police brutality, and fascim. The protests have garnered national and international headlines. …