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Message from Bishop Matthew Gunter on the Shooting at the Trump Rally

Dear Friends,

I ask your prayers for former President Donald Trump, those killed or injured, and all who were affected by the shooting yesterday. And pray for the soul of America. Violence of any kind should have no place in our politics.

But we must reckon with the fact that yesterday’s shooting did not happen in a vacuum. Politics in this nation has become increasingly polarized and polarizing. Across the political spectrum, rhetoric has become increasingly suspicious and disdainful toward opponents and sometimes even violent in its imagery. I fear that if such rhetoric continues, we risk spiraling into more actual violence like we saw yesterday.

Jesus calls us to another way – a way of love and peace that respects the dignity of all others, including those with whom we most disagree. That way is not just about our actions but also our words and how we carry each other in our hearts. It is not an easy way and maybe harder in an age as fraught as ours. But it is the only good way forward.

Let us recommit ourselves to following Jesus. Let us pray for peace. Let us pray for peace in our own hearts. Let us seek peace and pursue it.

The Rt. Rev. Matthew Gunter
Diocese of Wisconsin