Cardinal Donald W Wuerl of Washington has made an impassioned plea for solidarity with persecuted Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq and Syria and strongly urged that voices be raised against atrocities being committed there.
“Today our solidarity with brothers and sisters of our faith and of other faiths in a part of the world where there is clearly an effort to eliminate them is something that we simply cannot in conscience ignore,” Cardinal Wuerl said in closing remarks during an August 28 Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to mark the opening of The Catholic University of America’s (CUA) academic year.
“Often we’re asked, ‘How is it possible that in human history atrocities occur?’ They occur for two reasons. Because there are those prepared to commit them, and there are those who remain silent,” he said.
The ongoing displacement of women, children and men in the war-torn countries is “the least of the things happening to them is something that we really are not free to ignore and sometimes all we have to raise is our voice,” the cardinal told the congregation.
“I’m sharing these thoughts with you because I don’t want to have on my conscience that I was complicitous in something as horrendous as this simply by being quiet,” he explained.
He raised the questions, “Where are these voices? Where are the voices of parliaments and congresses? Where are the voices of campuses? Where are the voices of community leaders? Where are the voices of talk show hosts and radio programs? Where are the voices of the late night news? Where are the voices of editorial columns? Where are the voices of op-ed pieces? Why a silence?”
All people, the cardinal stated “have the power to raise voices and be in solidarity with people distant from us, unknown to us, not a part of this campus, not a part of this family, not a part of this university, not a part of our nation. But they are a part of our human community. I think it should rest on the conscience of each one of us.”
Auxiliary Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Washington, along with nearly 70 university priests joined Cardinal Wuerl, CUA’s chancellor and the main celebrant, in concelebrating the liturgy. More than 2,500 Catholic University students, faculty and staff nearly filled the shrine’s Upper Church for the afternoon Mass of the Holy Spirit.
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.