By The following is a statement from Pax Christi International on the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and all of those whose deaths have been precipitated by 400 years of systemic racism in what is now the United States of America.
Please click here for a PDF version of the statement. Full text below.
Time to create a more equitable, compassionate, just and reflective world
Pax Christi International, a network which includes dozens of national sections and hundreds of local groups around the world, shares the deep mourning of the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and all of those whose deaths have been precipitated by 400 years of systemic racism in what is now the United States of America. For too long, the lie of white supremacy has corroded right relationships within our human family; it is time to dismantle these systems which harm us all, some much more significantly than others.
The Pax Christi movement was founded 75 years ago in France at the end of World War II; its goal was and continues to be true reconciliation and just peace through active and engaged nonviolence. We are touched by the widespread, multiracial, multigenerational nonviolent movement that is at the heart of the civic unrest in the United States. We pray that our U.S. sisters and brothers in their diversity will persist in their pursuit of a reconciled society.
But how challenging reconciliation is in a situation devoid of truth, mercy, justice and peace! COVID-19 has exposed intrinsically interconnected expressions of systemic violence, including economic injustice, ecological destruction, militarism and racism. While the current crisis was precipitated by the blatantly racist abuse of police power in the United States, the sins of white supremacy and systemic violence are evident around the world. We pray for a peaceful and just resolution to this crisis and for the deep global transformation that will be necessary in a postpandemic world.
Across the globe, people have expressed their solidarity for those in the United States who cry out for justice, who demand accountability from law enforcement and government agents, who yearn for equity and dignity for all. We celebrate these public witnesses – in Kenya, in New Zealand, in the Netherlands, in France and so many other places, as they are a reverberating reminder of our connection and unity.
We pray for the strength and fortitude of those in the United States who are striving with great effort to build a more just and loving world. Equally, we invite not only those of the United States but the global population to reflect and take constructive actions that will assist in creating a more equitable, compassionate, just and reflective world not only for the present but for future generations – a world where all will have life and have it more abundantly.
Pax Christi International, June 2020
Photo: Black Lives Matter protest at U.S. embassy, Berlin, Germany, 30 May 2020 Credit: Leonhard Lenz / CC0