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The Archdiocese of Los Angeles responded this week to the anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) riots and protests in the city by holding a “Day of Prayer for Peace and Unity” June 11.
Archbishop José Gomez requested that the archdiocese’s parishes celebrate Mass June 11 with special prayers “for our nation, and especially for immigrant and local community during this tumultuous time,” according to a June 12 Angelus News report.
The archbishop celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, and about 150 people attended, according to the outlet.
“My brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are united with parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in praying for peace in our streets and in our city,” the archbishop said in the homily. “We are facing a challenging moment in our city, and many of our neighbors are frightened. There is too much tension, too much uncertainty and violence. So we bring our cares and anxieties to Jesus today, and to His Mother, Our Lady of the Angels.”
The archbishop prayed “for our neighbors who are hurting, good, hardworking men and women, people of faith,” as well as “the police and for all those who put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe, and we pray for our civic leaders.”
Emphasizing how Jesus died for every person, Archbishop Gomez also noted that “Jesus gave His Church the work of continuing His mission of proclaiming God’s love and gathering all the world’s people into one family; that’s what Catholic means, it means universal, international, worldwide. It means no one is left behind or left out, it means all of us are children of God, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of our Father in Heaven. This is the beautiful vision of the Gospel.”
The archbishop encouraged the faithful to continue faithfully living the Gospel and proclaiming it from a place of charity and peace.
In a June 11 social media post, the Office of Divine Worship for the Archdiocese of LA encouraged the faithful to pray the Rosary, a Divine Mercy chaplet, or attend Masses celebrating special intentions such as for refugees and exiles, or preservation of peace and justice. These special intentions are options priests can use from the Roman Missal, according to a June 10 Angelus News report.
Monsignor Antonio Cacciapuoti, the pastor of the Cathedral, told Angelus News in a June 13 article his perspective and approach regarding the situation.
“Our job is to be present, to offer solace, to pray with the people, offer them hope and tell them that Jesus is with them in every situation,” he said. “As the mother church of Los Angeles, we open our arms to everyone to comfort and protect them in any way we can. That is what we are called to do.”
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The archdiocese’s vocations director, Father Peter Saucedo told Angelus News that after Mayor Karen Bass enacted a curfew June 10 in parts of downtown, the intensity of the protests has lessened.
CatholicVote reported June 9 that rioters in LA had been “smashing windows, setting fires, and attacking police,” and ABC 7 Los Angeles reported the next day that rioters had looted several stores downtown. President Donald Trump deployed Marines to Los Angeles on June 9, just days after sending the National Guard there as well, according to Reuters.
FOX News reported that Bass extended the curfew on June 12 because it appeared to be helping quell tensions between protestors and law enforcement.
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