Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles has called for mercy and an end to deportations as he led religious leaders in an interfaith prayer service for peace and unity following the US election.
He said that, with the election result, children “are afraid” and “men and women are worried and anxious, thinking about where they can run and hide. This is happening tonight, in America.
“The answer is not angry words or violence in the streets. It never solves anything. It only inflames it more. We need to be people of peace, people of compassion. Love not hate. Mercy not revenge,” he said.
“These are the tools to rebuild our nation and renew the American dream. Tonight we promise our brothers and sisters who are undocumented – we will never leave you alone.”
The archbishop and Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti had organised the prayer service as a sign of solidarity amid uncertainty after the elections.
During his campaign, president-elect Donald Trump vowed to undo what he called President Barack Obama’s “overreaching” executive orders that gave some undocumented migrants rights.
Despite these measures, the archbishop noted, his administration deported more than two million. “No one seems to care. Except that little girl or little boy who comes home at night – and he or she knows his or her father isn’t there any more,” he said. “Let’s pray that our leaders will … come together, in a spirit of national unity, and agree to stop the threat of deportations – until we can fix our broken immigration system.”
Also in the election, the state of Colorado passed an assisted suicide law, three states voted in favour of the death penalty and one voted against it, while four states voted to legalise marijuana. Voters went against nearly all of the ballot initiatives backed by Catholic leaders.
Pope’s top aide says he hopes Trump will work for peace
The Vatican Secretary of State has congratulated Donald Trump on his election as US President and expressed hope that people will work together “to change the global situation, which is a situation of serious laceration, serious conflict”.Cardinal Pietro Parolin spoke about the election during a meeting at Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University. The Vatican released a transcript of his remarks.
“First of all,” he said, “we respectfully must take note of the will expressed by the American people in this exercise of democracy which, they tell me, was characterised by a large turnout at the polls. We send our best wishes to the new President that his administration may truly be fruitful. And we also assure him of our prayers that the Lord would enlighten and sustain him in his service to his country naturally, but also in serving the wellbeing and peace of the world.”
Asked about the row between Mr Trump and the Pope over immigration, the cardinal said: “Let’s see how the president acts. Normally, they say, it is one thing to be a candidate and another to be president, to have that responsibility.”
Francis evades Trump question
The day before Donald Trump’s election Pope Francis was asked for his opinion about the candidate.He said: “I don’t give judgments about persons and politicians; I only want to understand what sufferings their way of proceeding will cause the poor and excluded.” The remarks were reported from memory by La Repubblica founder Eugenio Scalfari, who does not take notes or record his interviews.
