San Jose, Calif., May 26, 2021 / 19:14 pm (CNA).
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development said on Wednesday, May 26, that the tragic shootings at a rail yard in San Jose, CA, “reminds us once again that something fundamentally broken in our society and culture must be courageously examined and addressed.”
The shooting that left 9 people dead and multiple people injured took place at 6:48 A.M. at the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light rail yard in San Jose. During the early morning work meeting, Sam James Cassidy, 57, a technician at the rail yard, started shooting at his colleagues and later took his own life. Authorities said late on Wednesday that a motive had not yet been determined, but said that the massacre was being identified as a workplace shooting.
“It is particularly tragic that in a city named in honor of Saint Joseph, who was such a loving guardian of the Holy Family, we are unable to protect our own fellow citizens from the ravages of gun violence,” Archbishop Coakley’s statement added.
“As Americans we must understand why these horrific occurrences of violence continue to take place in our communities, and then unhesitatingly act to root out the causes of such crimes. Our Conference has called for many years for rational yet effective forms of regulation of these dangerous weapons. We also urge increased mental health outreach and services to identify and treat potential areas of conflict before they become tragic occurrences,” he also said.
The statement concludes by reminding that “action is needed to attempt to reduce the frequency of these abhorrent acts through legislation and training. I call on Catholics around the country to pray for the dead and injured, as well as for healing in the community. May the Holy Spirit, whose wisdom and guidance we celebrated this past Sunday on Pentecost, bring consolation and strength at this time of great loss.”
Earlier in the day, Most Rev. Oscar Cantú, Bishop of San Jose, issued a statement saying: “Let’s pray for the victims of this morning’s shooting in the VTA light rail yard in San Jose. May God comfort their families and loved ones and bring healing. Pray also for all the first responders and law enforcement officers. May shock & grief give way to grace and resolve, as we work together to protect the innocent and prevent such senseless acts in the future, so that peace may prevail in our hearts and communities.”
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Coakley pontificates beyond his competence.
Archbishshop Coakley reaffirms that “something is fundamentally broken in our society and culture” and urges the nation to “unhesitatingly act to root out the causes of such crimes.” A symptomatic approach would include regulation of firearms plus psychological outreach…
BUT, THE KEY WORD in his statement is “culture”. What should we expect in a culture that from the very top imposes, yes, random violence, but also normalizes the abortion industry, destruction of the family as the basic social unit by the redefinition of marriage, and finally a generational self-identity crisis through mandatory gender theory—all of this under the pretense of an overall cult of so-called value neutrality?
As for “URGENT ACTION”, then, perhaps the scheduled statement on Eucharistic Coherence could include a succinct civilizational and historical dimension–by setting the Incarnation against our sensate age, as if even the last fumes from a world of faith and reason have long since been blown away…
The TEACHABLE MOMENT–more than technical/symptomatic (gun background checks, etc.) or therapeutic (“mental health outreach”)–is that we are now awash in the established (!) religion of Secular Humanism. A religion first validated and now fully “established,” by United States Supreme Court fatwas, e.g., from Roe v. Wade to Obergefell v. Hodges. While the First Amendment of the Constitution restrains Congress from establishing a national religion, the Founding Fathers (“fathers”?) never guessed at the need to restrain the other two branches of government—the judiciary and current presidential executive-orders…
THIS IS THE REAL CRISIS presented now to the perennial Catholic Church in the United States (the USCCB) by cult-figurehead Biden and the cheerleader Pelosi temple virgins and their self-identified pseudo-bishop enablers.
After all, the LADARIA LETTER of guidance sets the “entire Gospel” and the sacramental life against, shall we say, every cafeteria-Catholic flavor of ideological self-deception: “any statement of the conference regarding Catholic political leaders would best be framed within the broad context of worthiness for the reception of Holy Communion on the part of all the faithful, rather than only one category of Catholics, reflecting their obligation to conform their lives to the entire Gospel of Jesus Christ as they prepare to receive the sacrament.”
Among things “fundamentally broken,” I would first examine the USCCB.