Youth for Peace organizes
Rome flash mob against racism
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| Candles and flowers at a makeshift memorial (AFP) |
Youth for Peace, a movement of young people from the Saint
Egidio Community, holds a flash mob on Rome’s Tiber Island against
discrimination and violence.
By Vatican News
The tragic death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old
African-American killed by a Minneapolis police officer on 25 May, has led to
protests and public outcry against discrimination and police brutality, not
only in the United States but in several other countries.
In a gesture of solidarity, Youth for Peace, a movement of
teens and young people affiliated with the Saint Egidio Community, is
organizing a flash mob against all forms of racism, social discrimination and
violence on Tuesday at 9:00 pm (Italian time) on the Tiber Island.
The event will be preceded by a prayer for peaceful
coexistence in the world. Young people will also display a banner on the façade
of the Basilica of San Bartolomeo located on the Tiber Island, and illuminate
the surrounding square with hundreds of candles.
“We must learn to live together,” reads the statement
released on the website of the movement. Inspired by these words, the young
people hope to reiterate the message of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Canadian Bishops condemn discrimination and violence
Separately, the Bishops of Canada have also lent their
voices to jointly condemn Mr. Floyd’s death.
In a statement released on Monday on the website of the
Canadian Bishops’ Conference, the Bishops expressed their strong objection to
the “disregard of human rights and dignity” and the “ongoing presence of racism
and discrimination in our societies.”
“The denigration of humankind, the denial of God-given
rights and of human responsibilities that flow from them, lack of love for
one’s neighbour, and the failure to show respect toward others are wholly
intolerable; these must always be condemned in the strongest of terms,” said
the Bishops.
Reiterating Pope Francis’s words during the last week’s
General Audience, the Bishops deplored the loss of lives caused by “exclusion,
racism and violence which are antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” They
insisted that “every human being is created in the image and likeness of God
and is precious in His eyes.”
The Bishops encouraged all to pray for all those who have
lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism, and invited everyone to work
for reconciliation and healing, as well as peace and justice in the world.
Memorial services, funeral for George Floyd
Meanwhile, thousands of mourners gathered on Monday to pay
tribute to George Floyd in his hometown of Houston, Texas, during a public
visitation ahead of his funeral. Similar memorial services were held in
Minneapolis on Thursday, and in Raeford, North Carolina - the city of George
Floyd’s birth - on Saturday.
The six-hour wake, which took place at the Fountain of
Praise church in Houston, saw more than 6,000 people in attendance. Since the
occasion was open to the public, visitors were required to put on a mask and
gloves in compliance with coronavirus-related guidelines.
The funeral will be held at the same venue at 11:00am on
Tuesday.
George Floyd will be interred at the Houston Memorial
Gardens Cemetery in Pearland, a suburb of Houston, next to his mother’s grave.
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