For Immediate Release
Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021
BALTIMORE, MD – Archbishop William E. Lori today called the faithful of the Archdiocese of Baltimore to an Archdiocesan Day of Prayer for our nation and its leaders in the aftermath of the violence in our nation’s capital this week.
Noting that the United States has not seen such division since the Civil War, he stated in a message to parishioners, “Bitter partisan debate is nothing new. Political passion is nothing new. But a direct physical attack on members of the Congress is unprecedented and must never happen again. People died and were wounded in the attack. So too was our democracy wounded. We must not allow it to die.”
The Archbishop echoed Theodore Roosevelt, who “famously said, the presidency is ‘a bully pulpit.’ That pulpit must never be used, directly or indirectly, to inflame blind passion. It should be used to unite our nation, in all its diversity, around its highest ideals.”
In keeping with the Catholic tradition of observing Friday as a day of penitence, he encouraged Catholics throughout the Archdiocese to pray, skip a meal, or reconcile with a person who has offended them. He also encouraged the faithful to pray for the members of the Maryland General Assembly, who begin their legislative session this coming Wednesday.
Finally, Archbishop Lori asked all Catholics to offer the Prayer for Civil Authorities on the evening prior to the presidential inauguration, which was composed in 1791 by our nation’s first Catholic Archbishop, Archbishop John Carroll of Baltimore.
To read the full text of Archbishop Lori’s message, go to this link.
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About the Archdiocese of Baltimore
The Archdiocese of Baltimore, established as a diocese in 1789, is the Premier See of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese serves more than a half-million Catholics and encompasses most of the state of Maryland, serving the greater community in various ways.
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