Statement from Bishop Franklin on Orlando

Bishop Franklin, Diocesan News, Front Page • June 13th, 2016

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Once again our hearts are broken as we heard of the mass shootings in Orlando. This violence appears to be both a hate crime and an act of terror. We pray for those who have died, we pray for those who are injured and traumatized, for their families, for the first responders, and for medical personnel.

Of course, as Jesus himself taught us, we also pray for the perpetrator. Above all else we pray that this seeming endless cycle of violence will stop.

I commend to you this great prayer from our Compline service that has given me much solace in times of sadness:

“Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake.”

This tragedy seems clearly to be an expression of hatred towards the LGBT community. At the moment our standing with this so often marginalized community in prayer and solidarity is so much more than a nice thing to do.

I believe that it is a requirement of following Jesus Christ, and his example of love. And so I ask that you respond to the invitation of The Rev. Ellen Brauza of our Diocese to join in prayer this night at a candlelight vigil for the victims to be held this evening from 6 pm at Niagara Square in front of City Hall in Buffalo. As Mother Ellen has asked us, please come to the vigil to let the LGBT community know that our Diocese is supporting them at this time of anxiety and fear.

Please remember also in this climate to encourage one another not to impute to all members of a community the actions of an individual. Hating Muslims is not a Christian response to this tragedy, nor do I believe it is an American response. Ultimately I believe that this tragedy is a further assault on the freedom which both our Church and our Nation stand for.

I appreciated the words of the Mayor of Los Angeles:

“Today we know that we are targeted as Americans, because this is a society where we love broadly and openly, because we have Jews and Christians and Muslims and atheists and Buddhists marching together, because we are white, black, brown, Asian, and Native American. The whole spectrum and every hue and every culture is here.”

God bless our country, and our Church.

Bishop Bill Franklin
The Rt. Rev. R. William Franklin
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York