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From California-
As a priest, I am called to serve as a guardian and custodian of
religious symbols, such as the Cross, the Bible and the Church. I am
also called to interpret and help others interpret these symbols in ways
that remain faithful to our sacred texts and traditions. Symbols are
tangible realities that render present transcendent mysteries. For
instance, the Cross renders present the transcendent mystery of God’s
self-giving love. For this reason, I adore the symbol of the Cross: I
wear it around my neck, I sign my body with it, I sign my name with it
(Daniel +), and I even ascended 60 feet high in a rickety basket crane
to install and bless our new steeple cross back in September. At the
same time, I have realized that true fidelity to the Cross sometimes
means abstaining from displaying it. Since the message of the Cross is
love, I am called to be extra sensitive to the ways in which the Cross
has been used sacrilegiously to justify and reinforce violence and
hatred, especially towards my Jewish siblings. Throughout far too much
of Church history, the Cross has been thrust upon Jewish people like a
sword to the neck, as Christians have demanded their conversion upon
threat of death. Not only is this is a misuse of the Cross, it is
perhaps the most egregious form of blasphemy because it utilizes a
religious symbol to engage in the very behavior that the symbol
condemns.
More here-
https://www.times-standard.com/2020/06/07/standing-with-my-fellow-episcopal-church-leaders-in-upholding-the-truth-of-our-core-symbols/
From Richmond-
Many businesses and public buildings have been tagged with graffiti during the days of protests in Richmond, including places of worship. One church is choosing to keep the graffiti in place.
Charlie Dupree, Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, said the
graffiti, which reads things like “I can’t breathe,” and “George Floyd”
is a reminder that change is needed. George Floyd died after a police officer knelt on his neck in Minnesota.
“I consider these memorials. They represent those people who have lost their lives to injustice,” Dupree said.
Dupree told 8News the spray painted messages will be staying put for
now. “We don’t know how long, but we feel like to race to get rid of it,
to rush to either spray wash off everything, just kind of sweeps the
conversation under the rug and it’s a conversation that’s been swept
under the rug for far too long,” he said.
More here-
https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/richmond/st-pauls-episcopal-church-to-keep-graffiti-tagged-during-richmond-protests-i-consider-these-memorials/
From Maine-
New England’s Episcopal bishops unanimously are calling out President Donald Trump’s appearance in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., on Monday as “disgraceful and morally repugnant.”
In an unprecedented move, they released a statement
on Tuesday, also condemning law enforcement use of force and tear gas
to clear a path for the president through peaceful demonstrators.
New England bishops wrote that the real injustice is the continued
oppression of and violence against people of color in the United States.
Bishop Thomas Brown of the Maine Episcopal Church echoed the need for healing.
“The real concern here is addressing the inequality and the pain that
people throughout this land have been trying to say and have been
wanting us to address,” he said. “So, we who are white, we who have
authority and privilege — we need to be listening, and we need to be
bringing people together.”
More here-
https://mainebeacon.com/maines-episcopal-bishop-stands-with-protesters-decries-trump-d-c-church-appearance/
From California-
