The tragic and indefensible murders of Renee Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and Alex Jeffrey Pretti by federal immigration officers operating in Minneapolis cross a line that we cannot ignore. This statement is rooted in the foundations of our faith: Holy Scripture and our Baptismal Covenant, not in partisan politics.
We cannot ignore this moment because every person is made in God’s image, and every life is precious. Alex Pretti was shot in the back, gunned down while he was unarmed and defenseless. Renee Good was shot in the side of the head when she posed no danger to the agents who killed her. These actions violate not just the law but the most basic principles of morality, justice and our Christian faith.
We cannot ignore this moment because it reveals a pattern of intentional violence and abuse of power by our federal government that will claim many more victims if we do not raise our voices and take steps to prevent further unlawful actions by those entrusted with leadership.
We cannot ignore this moment because these atrocities come on the heels of months of additional abuses, including: the abduction of children and abuse of the elderly, the disregard for basic protections of American law such as the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, and the reckless destabilization of the rules-based international order that has kept millions of vulnerable people safe for generations.
We cannot ignore this moment because “Thou shalt not bear false witness” is still one of the Ten Commandments, and federal leaders have demonstrably lied, and are lying, about what happened, most blatantly in the murders of Good and Pretti.
As Christians, we are called to stand for the vulnerable and to give voice to those who can no longer speak for themselves.
We are called to stand up to the powers that oppress, making it clear there is higher accountability to which we all must answer. This federal government–its elected officials and leaders of federal agencies–has lost its moral compass and is proving, on a daily basis, it is incapable of governing with due process or holding itself accountable to the rule of law. It is, on a daily basis, acting in ways that oppose and undermine the values and principles on which this country was founded.
Our response must be steady, unwavering and fearless in the face of such oppression. We must be prepared not only to support from a distance, but to show up in person, as was the case when bishops and clergy from other dioceses spoke out last week in Minneapolis on behalf of our neighbors in Minnesota. This active and resolute response, as the bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota has repeatedly and eloquently reminded us, is rooted in love–not in violence, force or fear.
We urge all Christians to respond, not with violence or recklessness, but with resolve and wisdom. The situation is dangerous, and we must work together to protect one another from harm.
Jesus paid the ultimate price as he embodied this love, on the cross, for all humankind–including his own oppressors. As his disciples, we follow the example of his love. And as our community in North Carolina experienced this weekend, as we welcomed the Buddhist monks on their Walk for Peace, the power of nonviolent love has the capacity to inspire, transform, redeem and heal.
This is where we stand. This is how we respond, “not only with our lips, but with our lives” for the sake of the Gospel, in solidarity with those who are suffering, embodying the hope that is at the heart of the Jesus movement, the walk for peace, and the prayers of every person responding to the call of the way of love.
