Calls for unity and to “cool down” political polarization characterized prayers offered by church officials following the attempt on the life of former U.S. President Donald Trump this past Saturday. The shooting resulted in the death of firefighter Corey Comperatore, a member of a Global Methodist congregation, and critically injured two others.
Before Trump spoke at the Pennsylvania campaign rally in which he was shot, Ukrainian Catholic priest Fr. Jason Charron offered prayers.
“I prayed for him [Trump] and his safety, but that they have to pray, as well, because there are people who want to kill him,” Charron told the Catholic News Agency Saturday.
Church officials calling for public condemnation of the attempt on Trump’s life, and offering prayers for the former President, came from Roman Catholic, Mainline Protestant, Evangelical, and Pentecostal churches.
National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference President Samuel Rodriguez prayed for a “hedge of protection” to surround Trump and President Joe Biden, releasing the statement “I pray that all Americans rebuke and repudiate all vestige of rhetorical and physical violence from our political discourse; in the mighty name of Jesus!”
“This is a very very sad day for our country. We need to pray for the former president and all who have been impacted by this incident. We also need to redouble our prayers for our country,” wrote CEO Michael Warsaw of Catholic broadcaster EWTN.
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops President Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio invoked unity among fellow bishops.
“Together with my brother bishops, we condemn political violence, and we offer our prayers for President Trump, and those who were killed or injured… We ask all people of goodwill to join us in praying for peace in our country. Mary, Mother of God and Patroness of the Americas, pray for us,” Broglio wrote.
“Political violence is evil to the core and is an attack on everything this country represents. Attempted murder is an attack on the image of God. This is awful,” wrote Christianity Today Editor-in-Chief Russell Moore.
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry wrote in a statement that “The way of love — not the way of violence — is the way we bind up our nation’s wounds. We decry political violence in any form, and our call as followers of Jesus of Nazareth is always to love. We pray for the families of those who were killed. We pray for former President Trump and his family and for all who were harmed or impacted by this incident. I pray that we as a nation and a world may see each other as the beloved children of God.”
Anglican Church in North America Archbishop Steve Wood issued a call to prayer “in the midst of this time of uncertainty, social tensions, and violence” to join him and his wife in prayer for peace in the United States from the Book of Common Prayer.
“Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen,” Wood shared.
While some offered purely nonpolitical prayers, others did address matters of policy.
“Gun violence and bloodshed in this country and around the world have reached epic proportions. We pray that God’s loving hand will restore our humanity, heal the wounds of hate, and guide us to a new reality where love and compassion replace vengeance and injustice,” wrote Presbyterian Church (USA) Acting Stated Clerk Bronwen Boswell. “Our hearts cry for a time when all weapons of destruction can be cast aside, and bonds of peace and harmony can heal the scars that have been left behind. But for this to happen, it must begin with us.”
The National Council of Churches responded by “denouncing in the strongest way possible” the assassination attempt. The ecumenical council blamed a proliferation of gun violence upon loose gun laws, arguing that they directly contributed to the incident.
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