CV NEWS FEED // Archbishop Timothy Broglio called on Catholics across the U.S. to pray for veterans “who continue to suffer the effects of their wounds either in mind or in body” and remember their sacrifices on Veterans Day.
“In an age when the focus is always on the idol in the mirror, [veterans] raise their right hands to defend the Constitution, undergo training, keep watch, and risk everything for us. Please stop today, remember, and say a prayer for our Veterans,” he said in a press release this week.
Archbishop Broglio is president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and heads the Archdiocese of the Military. He recently held several conferences for chaplains serving in the military that emphasize wounds such as “moral injury,” a psychological injury after one acts against one’s moral code.
“Especially, we cannot forget those who continue to suffer the effects of their wounds either in mind or in body,” Broglio said. “They carry the reminders of their commitment and their past with them always. We ask the Lord to give them consolation and healing.
Broglio noted that Veterans Day is on the anniversary of the end of World War I, highlighting that Pope Benedict XV called it “useless slaughter.”
War results from the failure of dialogue and announces the last resort,” Broglio said. “Unfortunately, it is still the reality for millions of people in our world today. We need only to think of Ukraine, the Holy Land, Syria, Africa, and so many other places.
“In the United States the anniversary of the end of the First World War has been set aside as a day to honor the men and women who donned uniforms and put their Nation before themselves,” Broglio continued in the statement.
They risk their lives, sacrifice time with family and friends, set aside jobs, and often suffer the effects of their service into old age. Today we pause to thank them, to say a prayer for them, and to recognize their commitment to our freedom.
Broglio also reminded Catholics to remember families mourning the loss of a loved one or supporting a disabled veteran, saying, “We pray and offer them our support.”