Washington D.C., May 29, 2020 / 15:00 pm
Cardinal Peter Turkson has said that the principle of "non-violence" extends beyond opposing physical violence, and must include the protection human rights from exploitation.
Acknowledging the week's protests and rioting in Minneapolis, the Vatican cardinal made the comments during an event to mark five years since the promulgation of the papal encyclical Laudato si'.
"There's a lot of talk within the same church about Christian non-violence," said Cardinal Turkson, head of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, making reference to the social unrest in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd.
"Christian non-violence is not only when you [do not] hold a gun or a knife to the throat of somebody. Christian non-violence is also when you do not do violence to people's dignity, people's rights," he said.