Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 13, 2022 / 19:36 pm
U.S. bishops are pleading for an end to violence following the ongoing attacks on Catholic churches and pro-life pregnancy centers.
“In light of this, we urge our elected officials to take a strong stand against this violence, and our law enforcement authorities to increase their vigilance in protecting those who are in increased danger,” Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore wrote in a statement released Monday.
The U.S. bishops have tracked 139 church attacks since 2020 — a number that has increased significantly since the May 2 leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion in the abortion case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
“Only rarely have the motives been clear; when they were, it was often opposition to the Church’s teachings on life in the womb,” wrote Dolan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Religious Liberty and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities.