Archbishop of Los Angeles pray for those who suffer and by the police against protests

Amid the protests in Los Angeles (United States) against the raids of the Customs Immigration and Control Service (ICE) and the deployment of the National Guard, the local archbishop, Mons. José Gomez, presided over a Mass “to pray for peace in our streets and in our city.”

This week, Mons. Gomez had instructed the parishes of the entire archdiocese to celebrate special masses for peace and unity, and invited Catholics and all people of good will to pray for peace in the midst of the disturbances.

According to him Los Angeles Police Departmentafter three days of curfew in the city, the number of protesters detained was around 400. Trump ordered that 200 marine infants and more than 2,000 national guards were deployed in the city to control the protests, which begin to extend throughout the country this weekend.

In addition, the US president could take a greater extent by invoking the insurrection law, which would allow troops to participate directly in the application of civil law.

“We are facing a difficult time in our city and many of our neighbors are scared. There is too much tension, too much uncertainty and violence. Therefore, today we carry our concerns and anxieties to Jesus and his mother, Our Lady of Los Angeles,” said Mons. Gomez in his homily pronounced in the cathedral of Our Lady of Los Angeles, this June 11.

“We pray for our neighbors who are suffering, good men and women and workers, people of faith. We pray for the police and for all those who risk their lives to maintain the security of our communities. And we pray for the civic leaders,” he added.

Archbishop Gómez asked the faithful to follow the example of San Bernabé, one of the first missionaries of the Church.

“We want to be good people, loving and comprehensive; men and women of faith and virtue. Like San Bernabé, we want to go comfort our neighbors, strengthen their hearts and encourage them to maintain faith,” he said.

“Through our love and compassion, we want to let them know that Jesus is with them. Always,” said Archbishop, who was born in Monterrey (Mexico) in 1951.

Finally, he highlighted the Catholicity of the Church, which “means universal, international, world. It means that no one is left behind or excludes. It means that we are all children of God, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father.”