LCWR Extends Sympathy to the Tree of Life Congregation and Calls for the Healing of Divisions

Our hearts are heavy, and our souls pained.  The slaughter of our brothers and sisters in faith gathered in prayer at Tree of Life Congregation is a profound tragedy.  The intrusion of anti-Semitism and violence into God’s sacred space is an abomination which must be condemned.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious extends its sympathy on behalf of Catholic sisters across the nation to the families of those who lost their lives, the Tree of Life Congregation, the community of Squirrel Hill, and the people of Pittsburgh.  We will mourn with you.  We will pray with you.  We will walk with you in the spirit of God’s love.

Shootings at synagogues and schools, churches and mosques, in our homes and on our streets have become all too common.  The current political climate and growing polarization of our communities feed hate and spawn violence.  The racist rhetoric and the senseless rancor must stop.  White supremacists and their white nationalist ideology must be exposed and denounced.  Anti-Semitism, racism, and hate of all kinds must be clearly condemned by our religious and political leaders, and each of us as well.

We acknowledge that all of us have played a role in the polarization of our communities and the denigration of the other.  Each of us must participate in the healing and binding of wounds for which our communities long.  We offer our prayers for the members of the Tree of Life Congregation and for all who have been victims of hate and violence and we say loudly and clearly, enough.
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Margaret Hickey, ND
3501 State Street
Omaha, NE 68112
mhickey@notredamesisters.org