NCC
president expresses grief and resolve
over the loss of life in Colorado shooting
New York, July 20, 2012 –The president of the National Council of Churches
said Christians across the nation are “surrounding the community of Aurora,
Colorado” in prayer following the loss of loved ones and neighbors in a
shooting rampage early this morning.
NCC
President Kathryn Lohre also called upon elected officials at every level of
government to “seek policies that will foster greater peace in our
communities and throughout this country.”
According to reports, at least 12 persons were killed by a man wielding
three weapons who opened fire in a crowded theater at a midnight showing of
the Batman movie, “The Dark Night Rises.” At least 38 others were wounded,
according to initial reports.
“May God bring comfort and healing to all, including the families of those
who have been injured and killed,” Lohre said, “and also to the alleged
gunman and his family.”
Lohre pointed out that the National Council of Churches has been expressing
its concern about gun violence for decades.
The Council’s most recent resolution, “Ending Gun Violence, A Call to
Action” in 2010, called for a unified effort on the part of churches,
government and individuals to address the problem.
The resolution called upon “our local, state, and federal legislators to
enact reforms that limit access to assault weapons and handguns, including
closing the so-called federal 'gun show loophole,' which allows for the
purchase of firearms from private sellers without submitting to a background
check, or providing documentation of the purchase.
The resolution called upon persons of faith to “prayerfully, financially,
and otherwise support the NCC staff in coordinating ecumenical efforts for
gun violence reduction, including preparing educational materials about the
magnitude of gun violence, developing avenues for dialogue among gun owners
and gun control advocates within our congregations, and offering a faithful
witness in cooperating with inter-faith and nonreligious anti-gun violence
advocacy organizations.”
The full text of the resolution can be downloaded at
http://www.ncccusa.org/NCCpolicies/endinggunviolence.pdf
Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of
the Churches of Christ in the USA has been the leading force for
shared ecumenical witness among Christians in the United States. The NCC's
37 member communions -- from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican,
Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace
churches -- include 40 million persons in more than 100,000 local
congregations in communities across the nation.
NCC News contact: Philip E. Jenks, 646-853-4212 (cell),
pjenks@ncccusa.org
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